Where was the common sense?

This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from the Freedom of Information requests, lodged by this newspaper, that reveal the extent to which taxpayers' money was squandered on this hare-brained project when the council was failing in its basic duty to protect those vulnerable children who came under its jurisdiction – in part, because of a shortage of money.

Even though the pace of technological change has moved on considerably since 2005 when this ill-conceived scheme was hatched, it should have been obvious – even five years ago – that the public would not use these kiosks to obtain information about council services when they could log onto the internet at home, or via a mobile phone.

Yet, fundamentally, it is the decision-making process at Doncaster – a familiar theme – that is to blame for this embarrassing episode which could have been avoided with a modicum of common sense.

Instead of listening to the experts, the council simply began work installing 38 kiosks with little thought about the financial

consequences. And, when the costs began to escalate, because of vandalism and British Telecom's own installation fees, the authority simply dug itself and the public purse – into an even deeper hole.

If only the authority had abided by the maxim coined by Denis Healey, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, who once said: "It is a good thing to follow the First Law of Holes: if you are in one, stop digging..."

If Doncaster Council had done so in this instance, it might have been able to spend more time addressing the failings that have so dogged the authority – like its dysfunctional children's service department and the political infighting that became so corrosive and damaging to the public interest.