Harry Harrison

NEW: Peter Mandelson was offered a severance payment of £75,000 - having initially asked the Foreign Office to pay him more than £500,000 upon his sacking as US ambassador, newly released docs reveal.

Facebook is such a horrible place...

It's like X, but people put their actual faces and names to the bile they say to each other (which feels worse to me)

What happened to disagreeing agreeably on politics?

Plans to use Victorian building as mosque rejected by Doncaster councillors Plans to retrospectively change the use of a heritage building in Doncaster to a mosque have been refused by city councillors.

Plans to use a Victorian building in Doncaster as a mosque has been rejected by councillors over concerns relating to highways and parking issues

Reform UK confirm new deputy group leader on Doncaster Council Reform UK have confirmed Councillor Jason Charity will be its deputy group leader on the City of Doncaster Council.

REPORT: Councillor Jason Charity confirmed as Reform UK Doncaster deputy group leader

Council EGM falls into chaos as Reform UK make false allegations of officers An extraordinary meeting of the City of Doncaster Council descended into chaos as Reform UK wrongly claimed senior staff had changed a motion relating to Doncaster Sheffield Airport and its agreed lea...

My full report below...

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic...

It meant the motion regarding the DSA lease was eventually abandoned without a vote.

However, Cllr Charity says he will be calling the saga for audit committee consideration for a "potential governance concern"

...

Cllr Jason Charity said in the chamber that Cllr Craig Ward did not approve the motions, but, this week, the party has said Cllr Ward did not read the emails in sufficient detail before responding - an "error in judgement he accepts".

...

The extraordinary meeting of Doncaster Council fell into chaos on Friday after Reform UK wrongly accused council officers of altering a DSA-linked motion without approval

The LDRS has seen and verified communications between Cllr Craig Ward and officers approving the changes...

Reform UK Doncaster figures met Peel to discuss lease, party says Senior figures from Reform UK Doncaster have travelled to Manchester this week to meet with representatives from the Peel Group, the party has said.

NEW: Senior figures within Reform UK Doncaster travelled to Manchester to meet with the Peel Group this week, the party has said

Discussions centred around the ongoing renegotiations, between Doncaster Council and Peel, of the DSA lease

SHEFFIELD COFFEE DIARIES ☕️

I feel this one may be controversial…

Tried Hygge yesterday. I know it’s quite a popular, trendy business and is doing quite well. So wanted to check the hype out

One Flat White was the order and, honestly, it wasn’t good 😢

3/10. Sorry guys

Can someone who is far more clever than me make a Doncaster feed for BlueSky please?

Council investigating after Reform UK councillor finds rubbish left "for years" The City of Doncaster Council has said it is now “investigating” after a Reform UK councillor found “significant quantities” of fly-tipped waste in an area that had supposedly been cleared.

The council says it takes fly-tipping incredibly seriously

Doncaster Council is "investigating" a load of fly-tipped waste in Arksey found by a Reform UK councillor after the area has supposedly been cleared

Cllr Reasbeck is demanded answers as to how the waste, which includes a rusted fridge, was missed

Mayor backtracks after appearing to call Reform UK leader a "disgrace" Mayor Ros Jones has backtracked after appearing to call the Reform UK group leader a “disgrace” during a council meeting.

Story on the Doncaster Free Press

www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic...

Mayor Ros Jones has backtracked after appearing to call the Reform UK leader a "disgrace" in the council chamber

She said it was instead supposed to be about the potential financial risks warned of in relation to Reform UK's budget proposal

Council projected SEND deficit falls, but questions remain over future bills The City of Doncaster Council’s projected Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) spending deficit to end 2025/26 has fallen slightly, cabinet papers show.

NEW: Doncaster Council's projected SEND pressures, both short and long term, fall - with end of 2025/26 total now sitting at £55.6m

But the council could still face a bill of over £30m in 2028 as questions remain over Government support

Council projection to overspend by £5.2million in 2025/26 holds for Q3 The City of Doncaster Council is expected to overspend its 2025/26 budget by £5.2million, as the projected outturn at the end of the financial year holds in the third quarter.

Doncaster Council's projected £5.2m overspend position holds in Q3

Budgetary pressures for Adult's and Children's social care continue to drive costs

PSA for people who email me

If you are going to suggest a there is a conflict of interest between one councillor and a planning application - please at least check if they're on planning committee first 🙄

Community calls for "action" as council seeks contractor to demolish leisure centre A Reform UK councillor has called on the City of Doncaster Council to provide “real progress” after the Labour Mayor announced funding for a new leisure centre in her ward.

Doncaster Council has announced it has began a tender process for a demolition contractor for Edlington Leisure Centre

Plans are for a new leisure centre to be built in its place, but Cllr Joan Briggs has warned locals have been let down before

No 'super flu season' in Doncaster this winter, despite Health Secretary's warnings Doncaster did not experience a “super-flu season” this winter, despite warnings from the Health Secretary ahead of strikes.

Doncaster Council's top health official has confirmed the city did not experience a 'super flu season' this winter

This is despite fears for the NHS from the Health Secretary in December

Support for SEND spending 'long overdue admission' of failure, councillor says The Government announcement to pay 90 per cent of council deficits linked to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) spending was not a “generous gift”, a senior councillor has said.

The Government's commitment to paying 90% of council SEND deficits is "not a generous gift", but a "long overdue admission of a national crisis", a senior Labour councillor has said

Rent hike approved with Council tenants to pay £4.39 extra each week The cost to rent a council house in Doncaster will be hiked up by 4.8 per cent from April 2026, after councillors approved a rise in the annual budget.

Doncaster Council tenants face an above-inflation rent hike in April - the maximum allowed by the Government

Councillors approved the increase last week. Council rents in the city will remain the lowest in South Yorkshire

Reform UK tax amendment will help residents with cost of living, Tories explain The Reform UK amendment to only increase council tax by two per cent will help residents dealing with the cost of living crisis, Tories who backed the proposal have explained.

Reform UK's council tax amendment will help people with the cost of living "right now", the Tories who backed it have explained

Councillor Nick Allen has told us why his party supported the Reform UK amendment, which dropped the tax hike to just 2%

Doncaster residents face 2% council tax hike after Reform UK intervention Residents in Doncaster will face a two per cent rise in council tax in 2026/27, after councillors approved budget proposals worth just under £1billion.

REPORT: Residents in Doncaster face a 2% hike in council tax from April 2026

A Reform UK amendment, passed with cross-party support between Reform, Tories and Advance UK, reduced the hike from Labour's 4.99% proposal

NEW: Doncaster Council's budget has been approved.

Mayor Ros Jones' budget has been approved almost in full. However, opposition parties banded together to approve a Reform UK amendment reducing the council tax hike to 2% from 4.99%

Reform UK tax amendment will put council under extra financial strain, officers warn Reform UK’s amendment to Mayor Ros Jones’ budget will put additional financial risk and strain on the City of Doncaster Council, finance officials have warned.

This change came with a warning from finance officers.

Read about it here:

The Reform UK amendment (with the 2% tax increase) is PASSED with a more than two-thirds majority

39 ayes
13 abstain
0 noes

It means Doncaster residents WILL receive a 2% tax hike in 2026/27

Reform UK's initial amendment will be voted on again. IF it receives two-thirds approval it automatically becomes the budget

Mayor Jones' new proposal has been rejected.

13 ayes
0 abtains
39 noes

Negotiations taking place on the council floor

Mayor Jones has come back to council and offered to add Reform UK's demands for free parking, reduced agency spend and "optimised fees and charges" on top of her initial 3-year budget

This response would keep her 4.99% tax hike