St Leger Homes: 4.8% rent hike approved with Doncaster Council tenants to pay £4.39 more every week
The cost to rent a council house in Doncaster will be hiked up by 4.8 per cent from April 2026, after councillors approved a rise in the annual budget.
Mayor Ros Jones’ proposal to increase rents paid by St Leger Homes of Doncaster tenants was passed with 13 votes in favour during a meeting of full council last week – after every non-Labour councillor abstained.
It means tenants will pay £95.93 per week in the new financial year, up from £91.54 in 2025/26.
Despite the hike, the City of Doncaster Council will still offer the lowest rents for council housing in South Yorkshire, with Labour stating during the meeting it would remain “the second lowest in Yorkshire and one of the lowest in the country”.
Councillor Glyn Jones, deputy mayor of Doncaster and cabinet member for environment, housing and safer communities, said: “Council rents will continue to be significantly lower than those in the private sector and in Doncaster we have nearly 7,000 people on the housing register.
“With this rent increase we will continue to maintain the standards and services for our current properties and tenants, whilst also enable the purchase and build additional properties to help to alleviate the demand for social housing.”
The rent hike comes alongside a significant capital budget for council housing, approved separately.
Cllr Jones continued: “We have a budget of almost £71m over the next four years to build or acquire additional properties.
“Following the changes in Right to Buy regulations in November 2024, we anticipate the reduction in Right to Buy applications will continue and in turn will significantly reduce the number of properties lost from the housing revenue account in future years.
“The council now retains 100% of the money from any Right to Buy sales, this enables us to increase property numbers further.”
Cllr Jones revealed there was also significant investment in maintaining existing housing stock, including £45m to invest in the “external fabric” of properties such as energy efficiency improvements and investment in new windows.
Jones also announced nearly £7m for “ongoing fire safety works”; £19m for works inside properties, such as heating systems, kitchens and bathrooms; around £11m on property adaptations; and £2m on shops and communal halls.
“It is worth highlighting that although this investment and subsequent borrowing will be on the council’s balance sheet, it will be paid for via council housing rents over the usual investment cycle,” Cllr Jones said.
It was also announced a recently established damp and mould team will continue into 2026/27, helping to ensure Awaab’s Law – which forces social landlords to investigate and fix mould, damp and other hazards within a strict timeframe – is adhered to.
The 4.8 per cent rent hike is the maximum allowed by the Government for 2026/27. The limit is calculated as inflation – as at September the previous year – (according to the Consumer Price Index) plus one per cent.
Nearly all of the proposals from Mayor Ros Jones were approved by council during the meeting, including a £248m capital spending plan for the coming financial year.
“We proved that there was an alternative. Residents were told 5% was unavoidable. It wasn’t.”
However, Reform UK successfully forced the Mayor to adopt a lower council tax increase of two per cent, after the Labour administration proposed the maximum of 4.99 per cent.
Cllr Craig Ward, Reform UK group leader, said he believed it was the “right thing to do” in an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In further statements, he said: “Tonight we proved that there was an alternative. Residents were told 5% was unavoidable. It wasn’t.
“We have delivered a lawful, balanced 2% budget that protects services, supports our town centre with free parking, and respects taxpayers’ money.
“This is a historic moment for Doncaster. Reform promised to fight for residents — and tonight we delivered.”