The controversial South Yorkshire mayor who promised to cut Pride funding is back in hot water after his council hoarded £607,000 months after low funding was blamed for the deaths of seven children in the council's care.
Mayor Peter Davies swore to cut funding to events like gay pride, but had to back down when he faced a public backlash against the decision, which would have cost the city tens of thousands of pounds in revenues generated by tourism. He has also said British families could learn family values from the Taliban.
Doncaster Council, who have been sitting on a war chest of over half a million pounds, have been labelled as having a 'disgraceful sense of priorities'. The £607,000 is equivalent to the Olympics budget for the rest of the region, and was set aside for a July 'showcase event' of the London 2012 Olympics and for the use by athletes of gyms and leisure centres.
While nearby city councils have allocated no additional funding to their sports and leisure budgets despite the Olympics, Doncaster's pot dwarfs both Leeds and Sheffield's budgets of £120,000 and £80,000 respectively.
Despite this frivolous frittering of public money, social workers employed by the council have spoke up about a lack of funding leading to the deaths of seven children in the council's care in the last three years.
The Department of Children, Schools and Families' report noted 'serious failings in the department' due to restructuring and improper allocation of funds in 2005.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, sources within the council said the expensive Olympics kitty was a 'flag-waving exercise' for the anti-pride mayor. Unison, speaking on behalf of their members in social work in the region, said their staff were especially concerned by the plans to cut the number of education welfare officers from 32 to 14.
Jim Board, speaking for the trade union, said: "You can imagine how our members will feel as, while they face cuts in frontline services, they hear that £607,000 is being put to one side for the Olympics.
"They will be absolutely horrified. It is a disgrace. There has been a lot of talk of cutting waste and you have to ask what benefit to Doncaster is going to be had from spending £607,000 of taxpayers money on promoting the Olympics."
Although the council declined to comment at the time of the report, they did state that any unused funds that had been set aside for the Olympics would, in three years, be allocated elsewhere.
It has also been revealed the mayor has decided to cut a scheme giving schoolchildren free fruit.
Speaking against the mayor, Don Valley MP Caroline Flint said: "I am genuinely surprised by the amount of money Doncaster appears to have committed and I hope Mayor Davies can justify this, particularly in light of his decision to deprive some primary school children of their free fruit in schools."