The Local Government Association is piling its resources into rescuing Doncaster MBC, with incoming IDeA managing director, Rob Whiteman, being drafted in to help the government intervention.
Despite the LGA's efforts to promote sector-led improvement, Doncaster has not escaped government intervention after the Audit Commission's damning corporate governance inspection (CGI) report.
Communities secretary, John Denham, announced he would use his powers of direction on the recommendation of the commission.
The details and severity of the intervention will not be decided until after the general election, but Mr Whiteman will chair an ‘emergency advisory board' to support acting chief executive, Jo Miller, in the interim. One option mooted by Mr Denham includes appointing ‘commissioners to take over some or all of the functions of the council'.
LGA chief executive, John Ransford, described the CGI report as ‘a brutally-frank assessment of the huge difficulties that have beset Doncaster'. He added: ‘The situation is not acceptable. Things must improve, and we will play our full part in helping this happen.'
No-one escaped criticism from the commission, with the mayor, cabinet, and chief officers all coming under attack. The report is particularly critical of the former interim chief executive, Tim Leader, who, it claimed, ‘failed to behave in a way that lives up to the required standards of behaviour. Due to his departure deal, he is unable to respond to criticisms.
Scrutiny functions at the council have also been criticised for ‘being used to undermine the mayor and develop separate policies and budgets'.
Ms Miller is on a two-month secondment to Doncaster. She told The MJ the report ‘shows local government at it's worst'. But the problems identified were those recognised by staff, and that she had seen evidence for herself in the short time she had been in post.
‘Even if they [the staff and members] don't accept the report, they do accept Doncaster doesn't serve people as it should,' she said. Ms Miller's key task now is to put together an improvement plan to start rebuilding the council.
The three main issues identified by the report for the council are:
