Doncaster Council: Reform UK propose committees overhaul to remove Labour chairs
Reform UK is set to take control of every key City of Doncaster Council committee in a chair and vice-chair reshuffle, according to proposals.
The reshuffle will be discussed by councillors on Thursday, October 23, and will see the few Labour chairs and vice-chairs removed, if approved.
It comes after Reform UK requested an extraordinary meeting of council, following the resignation of Councillor Rachel Reed as chair of overview and scrutiny management committee (OSMC).
The OSMC will be the main committee responsible for reviewing and scrutinising plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) over the coming months and years.
Following Cllr Reed’s resignation as chair of OSMC, following her involvement in the controversial establishment of private company Fly Doncaster (Auxiliary Services) Ltd, committee vice-chair Cllr Jane Kidd, took over on an interim basis.
It meant that Cllr Kidd, a Labour & Co-operative councillor, would chair OSMC during the first stages of DSA scrutiny.
Committee chairs and vice-chairs can only be changed during a meeting of full council. The next scheduled meeting was in November 2025, by which time DSA scrutiny will have already happened.
Reform UK have nominated Cllr Karl Hughes, the current chair of licensing committee, to chair OSMC.
The party also nominated two experienced Conservative councillors for vice-chair positions. Cllr Steve Cox will vice-chair OSMC, removing Cllr Kidd, and Cllr Jane Cox will be vice-chair of audit committee.
Cllr Jason Charity, who is chair of audit committee, is the only current key committee chair who will keep his position.
Labour chairs one key committee at present, but Reform UK are proposing to take that position off them. Cllr Majid Khan will no longer chair the planning committee, in the likely event the proposed changes are voted through.
Cllr Hughes will be replaced as chair of licensing committee by Cllr Craig Ward.
Cllr Neil Wood will become chair of planning committee; Cllr Maria Hollingworth is nominated to be chair of the health and adult social care overview and scrutiny panel; and Cllr William Shaw is proposed to be chair of the communities and environment overview and scrutiny panel.
The proposals will go to a vote at the extraordinary meeting of council, however, despite the council being Labour-controlled, Reform UK has large council majority and it is likely the nominations will be accepted.
Doncaster uses a directly elected mayor system, meaning the Mayor of Doncaster – Labour’s Ros Jones was elected in May 2025 – controls the council with their cabinet.
Labour have previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the need to reshuffle the committees “puts the judgement of many Reform councillors into question”.
A party spokesperson said: “Reform has requested this additional meeting of full council in order to sort out the mess they created when two of their councillors set up a business in an attempt to bid for council contracts in relation to the airport.
“This has seen one councillor kicked out of Reform and removed from committees and the other councillor has resigned as deputy leader of Reform and resigned as chair of a committee.”
Other noticeable changes amongst the nominations are the names omitted by Reform UK.
The party’s mayoral candidate, Cllr Alexander Jones, is currently the vice-chair of planning committee under Labour’s Cllr Khan.
However, in the nominations, Jones has not been nominated to chair the committee and is also being replaced as the vice-chair by Cllr Craig Ward.
Cllr John Reed, the current chair of the communities and environment overview and scrutiny panel, is also not on the new nominations, likewise with Cllr Anthony Dodds, who was vice-chair of the health and adult social care overview and scrutiny panel.
Doncaster Reform UK declined to comment when approached by the LDRS.