Council meeting on child deaths

Mayor Martin Winter said inadequacies existed in child services

An emergency meeting to discuss child protection issues at Doncaster Council is being held.

It comes as an inquiry into children's services was launched after serious case reviews were ordered into the deaths of seven children in the area.

Council members have called for Doncaster's elected mayor Martin Winter to resign over the controversy.

Last month Ofsted was highly critical of children's services there, rating them as among the worst in the country.

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.

The findings of three reviews have already been published - they involved children who were abused or neglected before they died.

Now's the time for strong leadership not me falling on my sword Mayor Martin Winter Who are the children?

In each case it was found social workers had missed opportunities to intervene and one review described the children's services department as chaotic and dangerous

Tuesday's meeting at Doncaster's Mansion House will "debate and discuss as a matter of urgency" child protection issues in the borough.

The authority said the meeting was being held "in view of the importance of the matters related to child protection in this borough to seek to put in place safeguards that fully ensures that this never happens again".

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes has written to Doncaster Council to express concern about the situation.

She said she had instructed her officials to carry out a "thorough diagnostic review" of the authority's children's services department.

Mr Winter said he was fully supportive of the government-led review but voiced concerns councillors would use the issue as a "political football" and call for his resignation.

He said: "There's a danger, because we've got six months away from mayoral elections, they will make this whole issue a political football.

"I can certainly tell you that if I thought my behaviour has in any way contributed to the deaths of any of these children, then I would have no bones whatsoever about resigning.

"But now's the time for strong leadership not me falling on my sword."