The long-anticipated departure of Susan Law from Doncaster MBC, where she had been managing director since the summer of 2004, is the finale of a messy struggle that does local government no favours at all. Her appointment appeared, at the time, to be a triumph for the UK public sector. Here was a high-profile Antipodean who had worked for an elected mayor in South Africa, and appeared keen to make a mark in England. It was a signal from Doncaster that, as a city, it had international aspirations. It was also an indication from local government in the UK that it was increasingly seeking talent from across the world to fill its top posts. Two-and-a-half years later, all is in ruins. Ms Law returns home, doubtless bitter at the way the job turned out, albeit with a settlement of £120,000 to smooth her path. It is unlikely she will want to risk a repeat of the experience by looking for another UK post. And Doncaster taxpayers are left with a hefty bill and the council with a reputation as a career graveyard for chief executives, not exactly the image it intended to foster after trying so hard to escape the long shadow of ‘Donnygate'. Three months ago, at the autumn SOLACE conference, ex-local government minister, Nick Raynsford, told the audience that local government needed to do more to tackle its own ‘basket case' councils. He said the Government had been forced to intervene in the case of crisis-hit Hackney and later, Walsall, because local government itself had failed so utterly to address the problems In the case of Doncaster, the disputes between the-then managing director and the elected mayor have long-been public, not least in the pages of The MJ. Ms Law herself had certainly expressed bitterness at feeling what she perceived as being isolated and without peer support. It is hard not to feel that the sorry saga of her long goodbye at Doncaster should have rung alarm bells in local government's corridors of power earlier, and that influence should have been brought to bear on the warring parties. The end result not only tarnishes the image of Doncaster as a place to work but local government itself. Michael Burton Editor, The MJ
