Doncaster Mayor pleased with “balanced” finances at year-end as Reform UK seize on overspends
The City of Doncaster Council has finished the financial year in a “balanced position”, a report to cabinet has said.
Members of the cabinet were presented the report on the authority’s financial performance for the final quarter of 2024/25 on June 25, 2025 and noted its content.
Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, told the meeting: “The outturn at year end is in a balanced position.
“Overall, our performance in quarter four remains largely on track.”
Doncaster Council finished the year with an overspend of £1.1million, which Mayor Jones told the meeting had been covered by funding allocated from council reserves in the 2024/25 budget.
She pointed to an £7.6m overspend on adult social care and a £1.1m overspend relating to homelessness.
Mayor Jones said: “There are some areas where further progress is needed. We remain committed to addressing those challenges.”
Opposition councillors from Reform UK seized on the departmental overspends, saying it was evidence Labour had “lost control of the costs”.
Councillor Rachel Reed, deputy leader of the Reform UK group, said: “Labour is throwing millions at a failing care system without reform. We’re not buying improvement, we’re papering over dysfunction.
“The homelessness crisis is worsening under Labour’s watch. They’ve lost control of costs and have no credible solution in sight.”
In a statement to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mayor Ros Jones pointed to £7.2m in one-off underspends which have helped keep the council in its “balanced position”.
She said: “It is important to remember that City of Doncaster Council spends in excess of £850m per year, so £1.1m accounts for less than 0.13% of overall spend for 2024/25.”
Jones highlighted in the cabinet meeting that pressures from social care, homelessness and SEND provision are being felt by councils across the country and are not unique to Doncaster.
She added in her statement: “This net position includes several large ongoing overspends, including shortfalls against income targets, which are being offset by one-off contingency budgets, approved in the 2024/25 budget and held centrally for deployment where necessary (we held £5.8m in contingency budgets to allow for service pressures in Adult & Children’s Social Care).
“The key overspends include Adult Social Care and Homelessness. The 2025/26 budget provides for many of the 2024/25 overspends but will be reviewed prior to Quarter 1, to ensure the budget approved for this financial year is still achievable.
“Overall, our performance in Quarter 4 remains largely on track, reflecting our continued focus on delivering high-quality and value for money services for our residents.”
Doncaster Reform UK have said they will be demanding that Mayor Jones and the Labour cabinet allow “a full audit of overspends in Adult Social Care and SEND”.
The financial report noted by the cabinet will be presented to the overview and scrutiny management committee on Thursday, June 26, 2025.