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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Mayor refuses to quit over deaths | Mayor refuses to quit over deaths |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The elected mayor of Doncaster has refused to step down at a heated emergency meeting to discuss child protection issues in the town. | The elected mayor of Doncaster has refused to step down at a heated emergency meeting to discuss child protection issues in the town. |
| An inquiry into children's services was launched after serious case reviews were ordered into the deaths of seven children in Doncaster. | An inquiry into children's services was launched after serious case reviews were ordered into the deaths of seven children in Doncaster. |
| One council member said mayor Martin Winter was "ducking and diving" to avoid responsibility over the issues. | |
| Mr Winter said councillors were "too quick to blame him" over the problems. | |
| Council members had previously called for Mr Winter to resign over the case. | |
| At one stage the chairman of the committee responsible for children's services wept as he spoke. | At one stage the chairman of the committee responsible for children's services wept as he spoke. |
| Councillor Allan Jones broke down as he was speaking during the extraordinary session of the town's council. | Councillor Allan Jones broke down as he was speaking during the extraordinary session of the town's council. |
| During the fractious meeting some councillors shouted "rubbish" as the mayor accused them of being too quick to blame him. | |
| I think he's ducking and diving Councillor Garth Oxby Who are the Doncaster children? | |
| Councillor Garth Oxby, leader of the Independent Alliance group, said the mayor was "ducking and diving" to avoid culpability for the issues raised by an Ofsted inspection last month. | |
| He said: "We're not wishing to politicise the matter today, despite what the mayor says. I've tried to keep the politics out of today because there are children's issues to discuss." | |
| "I can go back many years in this town and in local government and I know what we had and I know what we have now, and it doesn't pass muster with me. | |
| "I think the mayoral system, under the present executive and that is mayor Winter, have failed this town for the past seven years. | |
| "Doncaster Borough Council are supposed to co-ordinate these matters and I think they've singularly failed to do that." | |
| Last month Ofsted was highly critical of children's services in the town, rating them as among the UK's worst. | Last month Ofsted was highly critical of children's services in the town, rating them as among the UK's worst. |
| Of the seven deaths being examined in serious case reviews, two of the children were murdered by their fathers and four were under the age of one at the time of their deaths. | Of the seven deaths being examined in serious case reviews, two of the children were murdered by their fathers and four were under the age of one at the time of their deaths. |