Politics
Doncaster Gets Different Transport Funding Formula Than Sheffield, Leeds
The legislation recalculates central government bus and rail grants using 2025 ridership and population data, directly affecting service planning by Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.
How we reported this
The Local Transport Bill 2026 changes the distribution of central government grants for bus and rail services across English metropolitan boroughs. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council will apply a new formula that places greater weight on recorded passenger numbers than on fixed historical baselines when determining its share of funds.
The previous five-year funding settlement ends in March 2027. Parliament is scheduled to complete committee stage on the bill before the summer recess, after which the Department for Transport will publish detailed allocation tables for each authority. Local councils must submit updated service plans by December 2026 to access the revised grants.
Comparisons with neighbouring and regional authorities
Under the bill's criteria Doncaster's grant calculation will rest on Office for National Statistics 2021 census figures showing a population of 308,056, alongside 2025 ridership data submitted by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. Sheffield, with a larger recorded population and higher bus patronage, is projected to receive a proportionally larger base allocation. Leeds City Council, outside the South Yorkshire area, uses separate metropolitan grant streams but faces the same new weighting rules.
Doncaster residents who rely on routes serving Hexthorpe, Balby and the town centre interchange will see service adjustments if the council reallocates resources to meet the ridership thresholds set out in the legislation. The bill requires authorities to publish quarterly performance data starting in April 2027, allowing direct comparison of journey numbers between Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley services.
Next steps for implementation
Once the bill receives royal assent, expected by September 2026, the Department for Transport will issue statutory guidance to all affected councils. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council finance officers have already begun modelling scenarios based on the draft explanatory notes published alongside the legislation.