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Blame is an odd thing. Sometimes it is well deserved, but it doesn't always get placed where it belongs. Reading some of the news coverage of the tragic case of Daniel Pelka last week – the four-year-old who was starved to death by his mother and step-father – it was easy to be shocked by the details. But what struck me as odd was that Daniel's maternal grandmother has put the blame firmly on UK social services. As her daughter and her partner were jailed for starving and physically abusing Daniel, Jolanta Luczak was reportedly claiming her daughter was not to blame, it was the fault of the local authority. There is now a serious case review under way – and who knows what it will find. Coventry City Council may have a bit of responsibility for failing to protect Daniel or it may have been woefully inadequate but it did not kill him. The school, health professionals, sociall services and neighbours should all have stepped in. But they didn't and they must all shoulder some of the blame. Hopefully, lessons will be learned, but it will only go so far – the sad truth is that some cases will always slip through the net. It is not the only thing local authorities have been getting the blame for this week. Jobsworth councils were berated for failing to let people rent out their drives. Rising car park charges were pitched as greedy councils stockpiling cash at the public's expense. Despite the best efforts of the LGA Labour group leader Cllr David Sparks trying to set the record straight to Kay Burley on Sky News, she steadfastly refused to buckle to the truth – that parking charges were not a tax and don't make up the whole of council reserves. There are plenty things I would blame local authorities for not getting right – both individually and as a sector. Some are, frankly, a bit silly. Others are far more serious, with horrendous outcomes. I just wish councils didn't get the blame for everything.

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The editor's view: Stop censuring councils

By Heather Jameson | 08 August 2013

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