DONNY DEJA VU

It feels like old times in Doncaster, where police have launched two investigations involving elected mayor Martin Winter. Knacker moved in after Eye 1147's  story about the much-delayed district auditor's report on Winter's pet project, the Glass Park. it aimed to transform the derelict site of a former Pilkington glass factory into a "community" organic farm, garden and leisure park. But after seven years and some £2m of public money, it largely remains..............

a derelict former factory site. At its centre is "Prescott's Bridge" - where the deputy prime minister was photographed with Winter at the "opening" of the park in 1998. It spans a muddy swamp choked with weeds.

Although the district auditor's report - a catalogue of mismanagement, misinformation and possible fraud - dates from 2004, the council's managing director, Susan Law, sat on it until it was leaked to the Eye and the local press in December. An internal inquiry then brought to light documents which gave Law no choice but to call in Knacker.

The papers are said to have left several senior managers "quaking in their boots", including former Labour party apparatchik Keith Miller (Eyes passin) who was in charge of single regeneration budget monies for much of the life of the project. Director of housing Miller, the last great survivor of the Donnygate scandal, has unexpectedly applied for early retirement.

Still active as a director of the Glass Park and its multiple subsidiaries is former Labour councillor Liz Jeffress, who first came to attention when she got up a petition to keep former education chair Pat Mullany out of jail following his conviction on 24 counts of expenses fraud. Back in 1987 Donny had two apprenticeships to gift to the most promising students in the area. By a remarkable coincidence one was awarded to Damian Mullany, son of Pat. Sadly Damian fell among bad company and a promising bricklaying career came to naught. Damian has now resurfaced,  joining his father's champion, Jeffress, on the board of the Glass Park Development Company, in which role he replaced Carolyne Hunter (aka Mrs Martin Winter)

*The Second police investigation follows a complaint made under the Representation of the Peoples Act. Not declared in Mayor Winter's expenses for his re-election last year was a mass meeting at the Doncaster Dome, hosted by Doncaster Rovers football club, a couple of weeks before the poll.

Winter, the guest of honour, was introduced by Rovers' chairman John Ryan as "the only candidate who can deliver a new stadium for the football club". Ryan urged 3,000 cheering, stamping supporters to vote for Winter: "I would, if I lived here." (Mr Ryan lives in one of leafier parts of Cheshire.) Each one of the invited season ticket holders received a goody bag containing, among other items, a CD of the architect's guide to the new stadium to be built by Mayor Winter's council. Winter promised the meeting he would resign if the stadium was not delivered by 31 December 2007.

PS: The legal limit on campaigning expenses for the mayoral election was £10,081 per candidate. The Rovers rally alone cost £20,000.

Private Eye No 1151 3rd February 2006

SCHOOLS OUT 2

Doncaster council means business when it warns parents not to take their children out of school for holidays during term time. It fined single mother Tracey Hindson £50 for allowing her parents to take her two children for a rare week’s holiday in Spain last September. And student Sharon Whitnall, who cannot afford the “astronomical” cost of going away in school holidays, also took her children away for a week. Her fine of £50 was compounded when she missed the payment deadline. She was taken to court, where her fine and costs amounted to £200, which she is now paying off at £10 a week.

Readers may recall how in 2004 the elected mayor of Doncaster, Martin Winter boasted of having taken his children both to the Glastonbury Festival and to the European football finals during team times (Eye 1111).

Winter declared there were some things you can’t learn in a classroom, adding: “It’s not just about pen, paper and books.” Education officials have decided that their boss, unlike impoverished single mums, should not be penalized.

Private Eye No 1152 17th February 2006