Doncaster MBC imploded under the weight of its children services failures this week, after a bitter dispute erupted between the borough's directly-elected mayor and its acting chief executive.

The disintegration of the leadership team has sparked an Audit Commission review of the town hall's management.
Senior sources confirmed to The MJ that the corporate governance inspection of Doncaster – identified as the worst-performing council in England in the Comprehensive Area Assessments – was motivated by the leadership crisis which has engulfed the town hall following its children services failings.

The council's children's services weaknesses, the source of two ‘red flags' in its CAA scores, were exposed again last week when the ‘Edlington' court case was concluded. It revealed Doncaster social services' continued failure to disrupt the chaotic and violent upbringing of two brothers in care who, aged just 10 and 11, went on to torture and sexually humiliate two nine-year-olds.

The case followed a litany of problems which have led to the deaths of other children across the borough. Doncaster's previous chief executive, Paul Hart, last week resigned prior to the conclusion of the Edlington case.

The latest crisis at Doncaster centres on the fractured relationship between the council's elected mayor, the English Democrats' Peter Davies, and its acting chief executive, Tim Leader.

In a letter to Mr Davies, seen by The MJ, Mr Leader has documented the mayor's objections to his proposed appointment as full interim chief.  Under the council's rules, the appointment of the head of paid service post is by full council, not by the mayor.

Mr Leader claims the mayor has: