Under-fire mayor hit by storm over poll leaflet

Jo Miller, who is on a short-term contract at the troubled authority, said the leaflet gave an unrepresentative view of the recent savage findings of an Audit Commission inspection which included across-the-board criticisms of councillors, officers and the elected mayor, Peter Davies.

The leaflet focuses on the criticisms of councillors, selectively quoting from the report, and avoids any reference to Mayor Davies's failings, which were also highlighted.

A key theme of the commission's findings was the failure of politicians to work together, with infighting placed above the interests of the people of Doncaster.

Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Coddington formally raised the contents of the leaflet with Ms Miller in her role as returning officer, saying he was "appalled" at its "inaccuracies" and the mayor's attitude in the wake of the report.

In an emailed response, she said: "I did speak to the mayor about the leaflet and expressed my view that it gives a distorted, inaccurate and incomplete view of the report. Whilst I know that politics is politics during the campaign season, I believe this type of stunt is unhelpful."

Ms Miller did not respond to a request to comment but Mayor Davies was robust in his defence. "Our leaflets upset some people – that applies to every election leaflet ever printed. I've never heard such nonsense," he said.

"Jo Miller has expressed a personal view which I've no problem with at all. She's straight down the middle, open and direct."

But he added: "Good as she is, she has no detailed knowledge of the last 15 years in Doncaster – there's no reason why she should. But I've seen the activities of the council over that time and they've been rumbled by the Audit Commission and by me.

"I stand by the content of the leaflet. We would never put out a leaflet that would mislead the public and we are not going to start now. I've got a reputation for straight-talking and honesty and I aim to keep that."

But Coun Coddington said: "The Liberal Democrat group has taken serious account of the report and we've been working for months to try to find some common ground with Mayor Davies. We are very concerned about the lack of trust brought about by the printing of what we feel are deliberate distortions and inaccuracies in this leaflet.

"It brings into question whether the mayor is genuinely committed to working together in Doncaster, something he signed up to in a joint letter to the Audit Commission."

One sub-heading in the leaflet says the report highlighted failings of "Lib/Lab militant councillors" though the Audit Commission findings only once referred specifically to Labour councillors and did not mention the Liberal Democrats.

Another heading says the report states: "The mayor is not the cause of the problems". But it omits the following line of the report which added: "However, the way he has set about his task has tended to make those problems worse."

Elsewhere, the Audit Commission report, which was the watchdog's most damning on a local authority in its near 30-year history, criticised the mayor for providing poor leadership and for some of his behaviour which "fails to meet required standards".

The leaflet says "councillors should serve Doncaster and not use their positions to play dirty, party politics".

Doncaster Council is facing government intervention, which will be enacted after the General Election.