Watchdog tells Doncaster Council leaders they should quit if they can't work together
“Things have simply gone too far.”
Public spats at the very top level of Doncaster council went so far that leaders assume ‘the worst of each other’, a shock new report has revealed.
A new Local Government Association (LGA) peer review has criticised the authority – even going as far as recommending anybody who can not work together constructively should consider quitting.
The crumbling relationships between opposition councillors and senior staff were thrust into the public domain during a series of extraordinary council meetings, calls for ‘government intervention’ and false allegations.
“Amongst those where relationships have eroded at the senior level, the negative impacts are clearly significant in terms of some people’s well-being. This is a cause of concern for themselves and their families. Things have simply gone too far.”
That resulted in the Government placing the authority into ‘active monitoring’ by April 2026.
The report said: “Relationships have been badly eroded amongst a small cohort of people at the senior leadership level politically and managerially and trust has been eroded between a significant proportion, but not all, of the elected membership and the senior officer leadership.”
It later added: “Amongst those where relationships have eroded at the senior level, the negative impacts are clearly significant in terms of some people’s well-being. This is a cause of concern for themselves and their families. Things have simply gone too far.”
Following the publication of the review, a joint statement from all the council’s political group leaders, Mayor Ros Jones and the council chief executive, Damian Allen, said the local authority welcomed the peer review report.
The statement said: “We invited the review to get an independent view of our governance and culture, after a challenging period since the May 2025 elections. Those elections brought a big change to the council’s political make-up, and that has tested how all of us, councillors and officers, work together. The review highlights strengths to build on and recommendations that will help us improve.”
“We acknowledge that there are things that are working well and things that could be better, and we are committed to supporting the implementation of all of the actions, to deliver the improvements for the people of Doncaster.”
The peer team made a number of recommendations to assist all ‘sides’ in their attempts to improve, including the establishment of an official non-decision making shadow cabinet, with training for those who hold shadow portfolios
Recommendations also included policy support to Reform UK, and establishing a cross-party process for developing the annual budget.
The peer team said: “What we have outlined in this report in terms of ways forward will only work if those involved are willing to engage constructively, are committed to moving forwards and recognise and fulfil their responsibilities. For those who can’t make the necessary commitment, we would recommend that they consider their continuing role.”