Doncaster Metripolitan Council
Councillors:
56
Wards:
22
Committees:
25
Meetings (2025):
94
Meetings (2024):
113
Meeting
Cabinet - Doncaster
Meeting Times
Scheduled Time
Start:
Wednesday, 10th September 2025
10:00 AM
Wednesday, 10th September 2025
10:00 AM
End:
Wednesday, 10th September 2025
2:00 PM
Wednesday, 10th September 2025
2:00 PM
Meeting Status
Status:
Confirmed
Confirmed
Date:
10 Sep 2025
10 Sep 2025
Location:
Council Chamber, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU
Council Chamber, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BU
Meeting Attendees
Chair
Mayor of Doncaster, leading on Budget, Policy and Economic Development
Vice-Chair
Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Environment, Housing and Safer Communities
Committee Member
Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families.
Officer
Governance Officer
Sarah Maxfield
Expected
Officer
Executive Support Officer
Carole Battersby
Expected
Committee Member
Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning and Public Health
Committee Member
Cabinet Member for Adults, Wellbeing and Culture
Agenda
3
Public Questions and Statements
(A period not exceeding 20 minutes for questions and statements from
members of the public and Elected Members to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones. Questions/Statements should relate specifically to an item of business on the agenda and be limited to a maximum of 100 words. As stated within Executive Procedure Rule 3.3 each person will be allowed to submit one question/statement per meeting.A question may only be asked if notice has been given by delivering it in writing or by e-mail to the Governance Team no later than 5.00 p.m. on Friday 5th September 2025. Each question or statement must give the name and address of the person submitting it. Questions/Statements should be sent to the Governance Team, Floor 2, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU, or by email to Democratic.Services@doncaster.gov.uk)
members of the public and Elected Members to the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones. Questions/Statements should relate specifically to an item of business on the agenda and be limited to a maximum of 100 words. As stated within Executive Procedure Rule 3.3 each person will be allowed to submit one question/statement per meeting.A question may only be asked if notice has been given by delivering it in writing or by e-mail to the Governance Team no later than 5.00 p.m. on Friday 5th September 2025. Each question or statement must give the name and address of the person submitting it. Questions/Statements should be sent to the Governance Team, Floor 2, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU, or by email to Democratic.Services@doncaster.gov.uk)
Minutes
Cabinet received the following question from Councillor Karl Hughes:-
“Mayor Jones, with Doncaster’s DSG deficit already standing at £39.2m as of 31 March 2025, and a further in-year DSG overspend of £17.1m now forecast for 2025/26 alongside a general overspend of £6.6m, what specific measures are you taking to prevent these spiralling deficits from overwhelming the council’s finances, especially given the statutory override only delays the impact until 2028?”
Mayor Jones gave the following response:-
Thank you for your question Councillor Hughes, like most councils across the country, Doncaster are currently dealing with significant challenges around high needs funding. This is the direct result of increased demand and complexity. Nationally, this means that Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have risen by 115% since 2014, and the special school population has risen by 53%, which is mirrored in the trends in Doncaster.
It is estimated that the national deficit will around £5 billion by the end of this financial year, with 65% of councils across the country being at risk of not setting a balanced budget when the override ends in 2028. I must point out that your figures are incorrect, Doncaster’s outturn at the end of 2024/2025 was £37.6m, not £39.2m.
This national crisis is the outcome of significant flaws in national government policy. The 2015 legislation allows an EHCP to be awarded where a child or young person ‘may’ have a special need, and, once assessed there is a requirement to deliver against this. Where a Local Authority does not agree with the decision, this can be challenged through tribunals, which have increased by 400% since 2014 and 98% find in favour of parents. Therefore, there is very little scope for challenge.
Recent national reports have set out the complexity that face councils as they deliver the legislation, noting the National Audit Office stated in 2024 that ‘The Department did not fully assess the likely financial consequences of the 2014 reforms’ and as stated by the Education Policy Institute last year that, ‘ it is unclear how it is possible to make savings within a framework in which Local Authorities have a legal duty to meet rising needs.’
In Doncaster, we have worked hard to limit these impacts, opening new specialist provision, and focusing more effort on supporting schools to meet needs at an earlier point, alongside developing strong scrutiny and monitoring processes. This has reduced the predicted growth in the deficit to the current figure of £37.6m, projected to increase to £54.8m by 31 March 2026 which is lower than the originally predicted DfE figure of £59m for March 2026.
This council will continue to work with urgency around this overspend - developing significant increases in the availability of specialist places, with over 500 places planned over the next 3 years and supporting schools and families to meet needs as early as is possible.
We have established an efficiency group to look at how we can drive down the overspend, which is chaired by a Service Director reporting directly into the Executive Leadership. We did the same a couple of years ago around the general fund, which was effective in reducing overspend.
The government will publish a Schools White Paper in Autumn 2025, outlining its plans for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and how to tackle the issues that we are facing. This paper will detail the government's approach to improving the SEND system and make it more inclusive. We understand that the proposed legislation will seek to repair the policy framework which created this problem and will seek to invest more in mainstream schools.
Thank you for your question Councillor Hughes, I will ensure all councillors are kept up to date in relation to DSG once we see the Schools White Paper published in the months ahead.
Councillor Karl Hughes asked the following supplementary question:-
“There is no indication that the upcoming Schools White Paper will deal with the DSG deficits directly, what is more likely as this report quotes, “This paper will deal the Government approach to improving the SEND System and making it more inclusive.” Meaning even higher spending may be required. With both Rotherham and Barnsley Councils forecasting their DSG Deficits to be zero by the end of March 2028, CDC forecasts in this report in the table at Section 160 that its own DSG Deficit will be in the region of £95 million by March 2028. Can Mayor Jones please explain how this massive disparity in deficits and how she would lawfully balance the books at the 2028 financial year end to avoid the issue of a Section 114 notice once the statutory override is lifted?”
A response was provided at the meeting which informed Councillor Hughes that there were two mechanisms put in place by the previous Government to address DSG Deficits. For Councils with higher deficits there was a scheme known as “the Safety Value programme” which provided grant funding and effectively ‘wrote off’ previous DSG deficit balances, both Rotherham and Barnsley were included in the programme. At the time, Doncaster’s DSG deficit was lower, and therefore Doncaster was placed in the “Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme”, and received considerably lower grant funding of circa. £1m towards specific activities. Therefore, this impacts on the comparison, and does not compare like with like.
The Mayor informed Councillor Hughes that a fuller answer would be provided to him, in writing, following the meeting.
“Mayor Jones, with Doncaster’s DSG deficit already standing at £39.2m as of 31 March 2025, and a further in-year DSG overspend of £17.1m now forecast for 2025/26 alongside a general overspend of £6.6m, what specific measures are you taking to prevent these spiralling deficits from overwhelming the council’s finances, especially given the statutory override only delays the impact until 2028?”
Mayor Jones gave the following response:-
Thank you for your question Councillor Hughes, like most councils across the country, Doncaster are currently dealing with significant challenges around high needs funding. This is the direct result of increased demand and complexity. Nationally, this means that Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have risen by 115% since 2014, and the special school population has risen by 53%, which is mirrored in the trends in Doncaster.
It is estimated that the national deficit will around £5 billion by the end of this financial year, with 65% of councils across the country being at risk of not setting a balanced budget when the override ends in 2028. I must point out that your figures are incorrect, Doncaster’s outturn at the end of 2024/2025 was £37.6m, not £39.2m.
This national crisis is the outcome of significant flaws in national government policy. The 2015 legislation allows an EHCP to be awarded where a child or young person ‘may’ have a special need, and, once assessed there is a requirement to deliver against this. Where a Local Authority does not agree with the decision, this can be challenged through tribunals, which have increased by 400% since 2014 and 98% find in favour of parents. Therefore, there is very little scope for challenge.
Recent national reports have set out the complexity that face councils as they deliver the legislation, noting the National Audit Office stated in 2024 that ‘The Department did not fully assess the likely financial consequences of the 2014 reforms’ and as stated by the Education Policy Institute last year that, ‘ it is unclear how it is possible to make savings within a framework in which Local Authorities have a legal duty to meet rising needs.’
In Doncaster, we have worked hard to limit these impacts, opening new specialist provision, and focusing more effort on supporting schools to meet needs at an earlier point, alongside developing strong scrutiny and monitoring processes. This has reduced the predicted growth in the deficit to the current figure of £37.6m, projected to increase to £54.8m by 31 March 2026 which is lower than the originally predicted DfE figure of £59m for March 2026.
This council will continue to work with urgency around this overspend - developing significant increases in the availability of specialist places, with over 500 places planned over the next 3 years and supporting schools and families to meet needs as early as is possible.
We have established an efficiency group to look at how we can drive down the overspend, which is chaired by a Service Director reporting directly into the Executive Leadership. We did the same a couple of years ago around the general fund, which was effective in reducing overspend.
The government will publish a Schools White Paper in Autumn 2025, outlining its plans for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and how to tackle the issues that we are facing. This paper will detail the government's approach to improving the SEND system and make it more inclusive. We understand that the proposed legislation will seek to repair the policy framework which created this problem and will seek to invest more in mainstream schools.
Thank you for your question Councillor Hughes, I will ensure all councillors are kept up to date in relation to DSG once we see the Schools White Paper published in the months ahead.
Councillor Karl Hughes asked the following supplementary question:-
“There is no indication that the upcoming Schools White Paper will deal with the DSG deficits directly, what is more likely as this report quotes, “This paper will deal the Government approach to improving the SEND System and making it more inclusive.” Meaning even higher spending may be required. With both Rotherham and Barnsley Councils forecasting their DSG Deficits to be zero by the end of March 2028, CDC forecasts in this report in the table at Section 160 that its own DSG Deficit will be in the region of £95 million by March 2028. Can Mayor Jones please explain how this massive disparity in deficits and how she would lawfully balance the books at the 2028 financial year end to avoid the issue of a Section 114 notice once the statutory override is lifted?”
A response was provided at the meeting which informed Councillor Hughes that there were two mechanisms put in place by the previous Government to address DSG Deficits. For Councils with higher deficits there was a scheme known as “the Safety Value programme” which provided grant funding and effectively ‘wrote off’ previous DSG deficit balances, both Rotherham and Barnsley were included in the programme. At the time, Doncaster’s DSG deficit was lower, and therefore Doncaster was placed in the “Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme”, and received considerably lower grant funding of circa. £1m towards specific activities. Therefore, this impacts on the comparison, and does not compare like with like.
The Mayor informed Councillor Hughes that a fuller answer would be provided to him, in writing, following the meeting.
5
Decision Record Forms from the meeting held on 13th August 2025 for noting (previously circulated)
Minutes
The Decision Records, from the meeting held on 13th August, 2025 (previously circulated) were noted.
6
2025-26 Quarter 1 Finance and Performance Improvement Report.
Attachments:
- Document i6 Cab 100925 Q1 Finance Performance Report Pack for Cabinet 02 Sep 2025
Minutes
7
St. Leger Homes of Doncaster Limited (SLHD) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) update for Quarter 1 30 June 2025 (25/26 (Non-Key Decision).
Attachments:
- Document i7 Cabinet 101225 SLHD Q1 Cabinet Perf. Rep 2025-26 Final 02 Sep 2025
Minutes
Join the Discussion
You need to be signed in to comment.
Sign in