The Cabinet of Doncaster Council met on Wednesday 07 October 2026 to discuss and approve several key strategies and commissioning plans. Decisions made included the adoption of the refreshed Get Doncaster Moving strategy, the approval of the Doncaster Dementia Strategy 2026-2031, the endorsement of the Corporate Parenting and Care Leavers Strategy 2026-2029, and the recommissioning of the Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service through a collaborative partnership.

Approval of the Corporate Parenting and Care Leavers Strategy: 2026 - 2029

Cabinet approved the Corporate Parenting and Care Leavers Strategy 2026-2029 ¹, reaffirming the council's commitment to children in care and care-experienced young people. Councillor Sue Farmer, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families, introduced the strategy, highlighting that it had been co-produced with young people to ensure their voices shaped its priorities. The strategy outlines seven key priorities, including voice, rights, and influence; love, stability, and belonging; health, wellbeing, and therapeutic support; education, aspiration, and achievement; preparing for adulthood and the care leaver offer; inclusion, identity, and challenging stigma; and sufficiency, quality, and workforce. The strategy aims to ensure that care experience is never a barrier to opportunities or success for young people in Doncaster.

Get Doncaster Moving (GDM) Strategy Refresh

The Cabinet adopted the refreshed Get Doncaster Moving (GDM) Strategy ², which sets out the vision for physical activity and sport in Doncaster until 2030. Councillor James Church, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Public Health and Traded Services, presented the refreshed strategy, noting that while activity levels in Doncaster remain below the national average, there are positive signs of progress, with more adults and children meeting recommended activity levels. The strategy acknowledges the ongoing challenge of inequality, particularly in deprived communities, and emphasises the importance of targeted, community-based work. The GDM Advisory Board and its subgroups will oversee the delivery of the strategy.

Doncaster Dementia Strategy 2026-2031

Cabinet approved the Doncaster Dementia Strategy 2026-2031 ³, which aims to make Doncaster the most dementia-friendly city in the UK. Councillor David Nevett, Cabinet Member for Adults, Wellbeing and Culture, introduced the strategy, which has been co-produced with people living with dementia, their carers, and partner organisations. The strategy focuses on seven priority areas: leading well, preventing well, diagnosing well, supporting well, living well, caring well, and dying well. The strategy acknowledges the increasing prevalence of dementia in Doncaster and the importance of addressing health inequalities. Wendy Sharps and Eileen Harrington, who have lived experience of dementia, spoke passionately about the importance of co-production and the strategy's potential to improve services.

Future Commissioning of Doncaster's Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service

Cabinet approved the recommissioning of the Integrated Community Equipment Loan Service (ICELS) ⁴ through a collaborative partnership with the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Sheffield City Council, and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Sheffield City Council will act as the Lead Commissioner for the joint procurement. Councillor David Nevett explained that this collaborative approach is expected to provide economies of scale, improve efficiency, share best practice, and ensure better value for money. The service provides essential equipment to adults and children with health and social care needs, enabling them to remain safe and independent in their own homes. The current short-term contract with Medequip, put in place after the insolvency of the previous provider, Nottingham Rehab Supplies Ltd, will end in March 2027.