The Council meeting scheduled for Thursday, 22 January 2026, was set to discuss a refreshed City Borough Strategy, the Director of Public Health's annual report, and the proposed diary of meetings for the upcoming two years. Several other items were scheduled for discussion, including motions on IVF provision and support for local farmers, as well as questions from elected members on various council matters.

Doncaster Delivering Together City Borough Strategy Refresh

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the proposed refresh of the Doncaster Delivering Together (DDT) City Borough Strategy for 2026-2030. This strategy, which forms part of the council's constitution, outlines a plan for all of Doncaster's stakeholders, including residents, community groups, and businesses, to work towards making Doncaster a better place to live and work. The refresh aims to reflect changes since the strategy's initial creation in 2021, acknowledging the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, cost-of-living pressures, and international conflicts, as well as new opportunities such as Doncaster's city status. The strategy is built around six interconnected Wellbeing Goals and eight Great 8 Priorities, which guide actions to achieve these goals. Extensive consultation with residents, businesses, and partners, including the Big Neighbourhoods Conversation, informed the refresh, with key themes identified including safety, cleanliness, infrastructure, youth engagement, housing, and transport. The report recommended that the Council approve the draft City Borough Strategy, noting that its content would inform the Council's Corporate Plan.

2025 Director of Public Health Annual Report

The meeting was scheduled to receive the 2025 Director of Public Health Annual Report for Doncaster, titled 'Understanding the Health and Wellbeing Experiences and Needs of Doncaster's LGBTQ+ People and Communities'. This report, a statutory requirement for Directors of Public Health, provides an in-depth insight into the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community in Doncaster, a group that can be at increased risk of social exclusion and poorer health outcomes. The report builds on previous DPH reports that highlighted the importance of wider determinants of health and social inequalities. It includes findings from a health needs assessment, story circles with Doncaster residents, and examples of how services are supporting the LGBTQ+ community. The report also reflects on how Doncaster's Health and Wellbeing Strategy principles align with supporting the health and wellbeing of these communities. Recommendations within the report focus on improving data collection on LGBTQ+ and other marginalised communities, progressing relational and trauma-informed ways of working, and creating safe and inclusive communities beyond Pride Month.

Proposed Diary of Meetings 2026-2028

The Council was asked to consider and comment on a provisional Diary of Meetings for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 Municipal Years. Agreeing these dates in advance provides members and officers with advance notification of meetings, aiding in the organisation of their time. The proposed diary aims to minimise meetings during peak holiday periods and maintains the frequency of Full Council and statutory committee meetings. The schedule reflects the Overview and Scrutiny function's approach, with the Management Committee meeting monthly and Panels meeting less frequently but calling additional meetings as needed. Cabinet meetings are determined by the Mayor of Doncaster, and Full Council meetings are scheduled six times per year, with a specific meeting in February for budget and council tax setting. The final diary will be presented for approval at the Annual Meeting of Council in May 2026.

Motions

Two motions were scheduled for consideration:

IVF and South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board Motion

This motion, proposed by Councillor Gemma Cobby and seconded by Councillor Sue Farmer, noted the decision by the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (SYICB) to reduce IVF cycles from two to one for residents in Doncaster and wider South Yorkshire. It highlighted the significant public consultation response opposing this recommendation, the potential negative impact on vulnerable groups, and the opposition from Doncaster and Sheffield councils, as well as MPs and Healthwatch organisations. The motion also referenced NICE recommendations for IVF cycles and the World Health Organisation's definition of infertility. The Council was asked to resolve to request letters from the Mayor and Director of Public Health to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regarding further funding and a national standard for IVF cycles, and to the SYICB requesting a public response to the impact assessment and a review of fertility services.

Motion: Supporting Local Farmers, Food Security, Sustainable Land Use and Plan-Led Development in Doncaster

Proposed by Councillor Rachel Reed and seconded by Councillor Jason Charity, this motion acknowledged Doncaster's agricultural heritage and the importance of family farms in food production and the local economy. It noted the pressures facing UK farmers and the finite nature of productive agricultural land. The motion also recognised Doncaster's need to deliver new housing while balancing this with the protection of agricultural land and the use of brownfield sites. The Council was asked to resolve to affirm its support for Doncaster's farmers, support local and British food producers through council procurement, recognise food security and sustainable land use as material considerations in planning, and lobby the government for policies that prioritise rooftop and brownfield solar deployment.

Questions from the Public

Several questions from the public were scheduled to be addressed to Mayor Ros Jones:

• Mr Daniel Pye asked about the impact of the suspension of the UK & US tech deal in December on Doncaster.
• Mr Tim Brown questioned the compatibility of the Mayor's public statement I do not see colour with the Nolan Principles of Public Life, the Council's Constitution, and the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.
• Mr Peter Cotterill inquired about the potential contribution of Doncaster Council taxpayers to the setting up and operating of Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) during its predicted years of loss, drawing parallels with Teeside Airport.
• Mr Wai Ming Yau requested a detailed, dated timeline for commitments related to Doncaster Sheffield Airport in 2026, including governance appointments, airspace approval, operator readiness, recruitment, airline agreements, and route launches, given previous announcements without clear deadlines.

Questions by Elected Members

A series of questions from elected members were also scheduled:

• Councillor Nick Allen asked the Mayor if she supported the recent policy U-turn regarding Business Rates, noting the potential devastation to local pubs from original proposals.
• Councillor Guy Aston asked the Mayor to set out the total amount spent on agency staffing over the last three financial years, citing concerns about pay parity and recruitment/retention difficulties.
• Councillor Cynthia Ransome questioned why the public gallery was not open for a Planning Committee item concerning a Solar Farm on 16 December 2025, despite significant public interest.
• Councillor Joan Briggs requested an update on the demolition of the Edlington Leisure Centre and the construction of the new £6.9m facility, including timelines and funding.
• Councillor Jane Cox asked the Mayor to explain why her public statements on Doncaster Sheffield Airport's airspace approval did not reflect known Civil Aviation Authority advice, given previous motions of no confidence.
• Councillor Lee Sammut asked for an understanding of how residents' concerns about potential regular night flights over their homes, adjacent to the soon-to-be reopened Doncaster Sheffield Airport, would be formally considered.
• Councillor Jason Charity inquired whether any decisions or actions regarding the Doncaster Business Innovation Centre auction sale were taken by the Mayor or officers, rather than the board of Arthur Street (Doncaster) Developments Limited, and under what authority.
• Councillor Craig Ward asked the Mayor to explain why contractual provisions linking the Council's control of Doncaster Sheffield Airport to Peel's residential housing developments were not disclosed prior to the May 2025 mayoral election.
• Councillor Isaiah John Reasbeck asked Councillor Sue Farmer, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, about measures being taken to improve school readiness, particularly in areas with consistently low Early Years Foundation Stage outcomes.
• Councillor Gerald Squire asked Councillor Sue Farmer about steps being taken to reduce current SEND budget pressures and whether a specific plan or recovery strategy was in place.
• Councillor Bob Anderson asked Councillor James Church, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning and Public Health, if the £1 swim scheme, funded by ward budgets, could be rolled out across Doncaster or encouraged in other wards.

For Information and Not Endorsement

The minutes of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Board (11 November 2025), South Yorkshire Pensions Authority (4 September 2025), and Team Doncaster Executive (9 September 2025) were presented for information.

The meeting also included standard agenda items such as apologies for absence, exclusion of the public and press, and declarations of interest.