Mayor of Doncaster appoints new member to cabinet in reshuffle

Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones has added a fifth Labour councillor to her top team as part of a cabinet reshuffle going into her 14th year as the city’s most powerful politician.

Jones, who won re-election and a fourth term as Mayor in 2025, made the reshuffle announcement during the second part of the City of Doncaster Council’s annual general meeting (AGM) on May 22, 2026.

The Mayor of Doncaster is not a councillor.

In a statement before council, the Mayor said: “I would like to welcome Councillor Gemma Cobby as the cabinet member for regulation and enforcement, planning and safer communities.”

Cllr Cobby has represented Town ward since 2021 and, following the 2025 elections, has been a leading figure in a cross-party pressure campaign against proposals to cut in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles available in the region on the NHS to one.

The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) went ahead with plans to cut the number of IVF cycles available in the region earlier in the year, despite opposition, explaining it was facing a challenging financial climate requiring tough decisions.

Mayor Jones’ cabinet remains the same, aside from Cobby’s addition, but with changes to titles and portfolios.

Two of Cobby’s cabinet responsibilities, planning and safer communities, were previously under councillors James Church and Glyn Jones respectively.

Under Doncaster Council’s directly elected mayor system, around 95 per cent of key decisions are taken by the Mayor and their hand-picked cabinet.

It means Cllr Cobby now has significant decision-making power over her portfolio areas.

Her addition to cabinet means the Mayor’s top team now includes:

• Mayor Ros Jones, leading on budget, policy and economic development,
• Cllr Glyn Jones, deputy mayor of Doncaster and cabinet member for environment and housing,
• Cllr Sue Farmer, cabinet member for children, young people and families,
• Cllr James Church, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, public health and traded services,
• Cllr David Nevett, cabinet member for adults, wellbeing and culture,
• And Cllr Gemma Cobby, cabinet member for regulation and enforcement, planning and safer communities.

At the May 2025 local elections, where Doncaster Council held ‘all-out’ elections with all seats, including the Mayor, up for election, Labour’s Ros Jones won the crucial mayoral election.

However, Reform UK won a majority of council seats, but were left with extremely limited power due to losing the mayoral election. It meant the party, now led by Roman Ridge councillor Howard Rimmer, served as a very large opposition party to the Labour administration.

Cllr Rimmer became leader of Reform UK Doncaster at the party’s own AGM on May 18, 2026. The party is yet to make any announcements on who will be Cllr Rimmer’s deputy leader or who will make up his top team.