Communities Secretary formally ends corporate governance intervention in council

The Communities Secretary has formally ended the statutory corporate governance intervention in Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

Eric Pickles had signalled in July that he would make the move once the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust was fully up and running.

In a statement to the House of Commons Pickles told MPs: “The Doncaster Children’s Services Trust has now had responsibility for children’s social care services in the area since 30 September. I am therefore today revoking the intervention directions made under the Local Government Act 1999 to end the statutory corporate governance intervention in Doncaster.”

The Government intervened in Doncaster in 2010 after an independent inspection report raised serious concerns about the governance and performance of the council. A team of three commissioners was sent in to oversee the council’s governance.

A Local Government Association peer challenge found in June this year that Doncaster’s performance had materially improved, both politically and managerially.

The council was also found to be no longer an outlier in terms of the performance expected of a local authority, except with regard to children’s services. The latter have now been transferred to the Doncaster Children’s Services Trust.

“This shows that such a targeted approach to intervention can turn around a dysfunctional mayoral administration,” Pickles claimed.

In his statement the minister also highlighted his appointment of Louise Casey in September to undertake a statutory best value inspection of Rotherham MBC. This followed serious concerns raised about child sexual exploitation.

Casey has been asked to report to Pickles “on whether she considered, as result of undertaking the inspection or otherwise, there are any further matters which might appropriately be drawn to the attention of authorities and other local service providers generally to assist them to improve the delivery of their services, particularly those relating to children and young people”.

The Communities Secretary said: “The Government considers that it is of the utmost importance that councils everywhere vigorously and effectively undertake their responsibilities for safeguarding children and young people. In the light of Louise Casey’s reports, we will take all actions necessary in relation to Rotherham or councils more generally, and my decision today is of course without prejudice to that.”