Martin Winter (mayor)

Martin Winter
1st Mayor of Doncaster
In office 3 May 2002 – 5 June 2009
Preceded by	New Office
Succeeded by	Peter Davies
Personal details
Political party	Independent/Unaffiliated
Website	www.doncaster.gov.uk

Martin Winter was the first elected mayor of Doncaster, England. He is an Independent. He became the first elected mayor of Doncaster in 2002 and successfully defended his position in 2005.

Early Life

Martin Winter was a professional Rugby League player and the son of a second hand car salesman. He went on to win election to Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council and quickly became leader of the Labour administration.

Career

Doncaster became one of the first authorities to adopt the new system for directly elected mayors. In this position, he appoints his own cabinet from among the Councillors.

The mayor has been criticised several times in the satirical magazine Private Eye for supposed hypocrisy.^[1] In one alleged case he took his children out of school during term time to take them to the Glastonbury Festival despite announcing measures to curb unauthorised school absences with fines and possible legal proceedings. He has also been likened to Mayor Quimby from the Simpsons.

Martin Winter won re-election in 2005 on the day of the General Election against a split opposition.

Following the local elections of May 2008, Martin Winter declared that he would govern as an independent mayor, with the support of two of his cabinet members. The Labour Party gave him an ultimatum to back down. The situation then became further confused as he signalled his intention to remain in the Labour Party, but not in its Council group. At the same time, the Council was faced with two reports from government inspectors, accusing it of serious failures^{[citation needed]}.

On 29 May 2008, Martin Winter and one other councillor was expelled from the Labour Party. Only the leader of the three-member Community Group and one Liberal Democrat, who was suspended from that party, joined his new cabinet. The members of Doncaster Council supported a motion of no confidence in Mayor Winter on 14 July 2008 by 42 votes to 8 with 7 abstentions. However, Mayor Winter has refused to resign and pledged to see out his term of office.^[2]

Resignation

Further calls for Winter's resignation followed in January 2009 after the Authority was deemed to be seriously failing in its delivery of social services following the deaths of seven children that were on the local "At Risk" register. The Social Services Department had been understaffed and overextended for some time, and several leading officers had resigned. Winter has again refused to resign following the loss of another "no-confidence" motion.^[3]

In March 2009 Mayor Winter announced he would not be standing for re-election in June 2009.^[4] In the June 2009 election he was replaced by English Democrat Peter Davies. From 2011 He started working for a property company in Doncaster as a rent collector and Handyman.

References

1. ^ Craven, Nick (7 April 2009). "Doncaster: The rotten borough they call the Haringey of the north". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1168163/NICK-CRAVEN-Doncaster--rotten-borough-Haringey-north.html. 
2. ^ http://www.lgcplus.com/news/doncaster-mayor-fights-labour-over-expulsion-move/1481669.article
3. ^ BBC News article Retrieved 2009-01-19
4. ^ Jenkins, Russell (13 March 2009). "Doncaster mayor Martin Winter to stand down over inadequate childrens services". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5897554.ece. Retrieved 12 May 2010. 

External links

• Official profile on council website
• Councillors back referendum on mayoral system
• Labour announce new candidate to contest mayoral election in 2009 after the departure of Mayor Winter

Political offices
Preceded by New Office	Mayor of Doncaster 2002–2009	Succeeded by Peter Davies

Persondata
Name	Winter, Martin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death