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With exquisite timing, the New Local Government Network this week issued yet another report extolling the benefits of directly-elected mayors, just at the time when Doncaster – with its elected mayor system – went into political meltdown (again). But it would be simplistic to claim Doncaster's problems are associated with one type of governance. The council has long had a history of political controversy and after Donnygate, the mayoral system was brought in precisely to make a new start. Ensuing disputes between the mercurial mayor and the council ended with his departure and the election of the new and current mayor, Peter Davies, from outside the established political system. Mr Davies has, shall we say, his own views on how councils should be run, and how officers should operate, and they are not necessarily in accord with the council's own members, as we see. Nor should the saga of Doncaster reflect on the rest of local government, though, of course, it will. For the council's governance weaknesses are complicated by a cocktail of other performance and political events which have created a perfect storm. They include an abysmal CAA rating, an appalling court case revealing inadequacies in children's services, the usual media demands for ‘something to be done,' the coincidence that one of Doncaster's MPs happens to be the local government minister, and another, Ed Miliband, is a potential party leader, plus a forthcoming general election. There is also the reluctance by ministers not to repeat the heavy-handed interference they instigated at Haringey a year ago. In the vacuum, the Audit Commission has ‘volunteered' to step in with a corporate governance inquiry into Doncaster. And this is where the local government ‘family' has failed. It has plenty of able serving and former chiefs and leaders, and a respected tradition in the peer review process. It needs to create a mechanism whereby it can parachute in an external team to ascertain a failing council's problems and offer solutions. If localism means anything it means local government sorting out its own backyard, not sitting back and waiting for ministers and assorted inspectors to come wading in. After all, we've been here before, especially with Doncaster. Michael Burton, Editor, The MJ

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WHITEHALL

Another test for the sector...

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