Conservative councillor forced to clarify comments on austerity after Labour outcry
An experienced Conservative councillor in Doncaster has clarified what she meant after saying “maybe austerity was a good thing” during full council.
Councillor Jane Cox was met with jeers and shouts from the Labour benches when she made the comment during the full council meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the following afternoon, Cllr Cox said she believed austerity, imposed by the Conservative-led coalition government of 2010-15, was “terrible” for Doncaster.
She said her comment was intended to highlight statements from the Labour Mayor, Ros Jones, who repeatedly referred to austerity as having a lasting negative impact on the council, whilst taking credit high growth in the city from 2013-2023.
“She can’t have done everything she said she’d done and then complain about austerity,” Cllr Cox said.
“It can’t be it all. It can’t be everybody else’s fault, but wonderful at the same time,” she added.
Doncaster Council has less money in real terms than it did before the 2010 Conservative/Liberal Democrat government.
Cox said: “If you’re running such an amazing council now. Maybe the fact is they had too much money going about 14 years ago.
“How much money were we wasting if she’s running such a great council now?”
During an interview with the LDRS about the meeting, Conservative deputy leader, Cllr Nick Allen accused Mayor Jones of dragging the session into a “political slanging match”.
He said: “For the Mayor to come along yesterday evening as she did, to make out that somehow, actually, one the one hand Doncaster was doing really well, but oh ‘boo-hoo’ she’s had to be so dreadful because of Tory austerity… you can’t sustain both those points of view.
“I think the way she tries to always blame the Tories. It’s incredibly sad.”