No action for Mexborough councillor over "donkey" tweet

AN OUTSPOKEN councillor who used a clip from Shrek to liken members of a council committee to nodding donkeys will not face formal censure.

Doncaster Council’s overview and scrutiny management committee voted two weeks ago to unanimously throw out objections to a controversial deal to hand over the running of Doncaster and Mexborough markets to private firm Market Asset Management for 25 years.

Cllr Sean Gibbons’ tweet implied the decision was cut and dried before the meeting, saying the deal “was always going to be supported by OSMC @MyDoncaster”.

The Mexborough First councillor added a GIF (short clip) of the character Donkey from the Shrek films, which shows the farm animal nodding excitedly.

Committee chairman Cllr Kevin Rodgers called Cllr Gibbons last week demanding the apparently-offensive tweet be taken down or amended to remove any suggestion the committee had not acted fairly.

Cllr Gibbons has not removed the original tweet, although he did concede in a further tweet that Cllr Rodgers had given Mexborough First councillors Andy Pickering and Bev Chapman some leeway in last week’s meeting.

Want 2 point out @MyDoncaster Chair @CllrKevin & OSMC followed call-in process last Tue re Markets decision & gave @Mexborough1st Cllrs extra time 2 raise concerns,” said Cllr Gibbons.

“However, #MAM 25 yr deal re #doncasterisgreat markets always going 2 be agreed due 2 over-ruling ‘Executive Powers’.”

Cllr Gibbons said he and his party colleagues were upset key written evidence raising concerns about Market Asset Management and parent company Quarterbridge had not been admitted by the committee, with Cllr Rodgers upholding protocol saying only material submitted in official “call-in” papers by a set deadline could be considered.

Cllr Rodgers told the Weekender he would not be reporting Cllr Gibbons’ to the council’s monitoring officer, appearing satisfied following the later tweet.

Asked what he thought about the “donkey” tweet, Cllr Rodgers said: “As my grandfather used to say, men and water have one thing in common — they find their own level.”

He stressed the call-in protocol had been properly followed, adding that he had given Cllrs Bev Chapman and Andy Pickering “leeway” to state their objections.