Northamptonshire County Council leader survives resignation vote

A council leader remains in post, despite a motion calling for him to resign over failings that led to the murders of two young children.

Reviews found Northamptonshire County Council missed chances to protect the two-year-old boy and one-year-old girl.

Bob Scott, Labour opposition leader, called on council leader Matt Golby to "step up and take responsibility" but the his group's motion was defeated.

Mr Golby said he was committed "to moving this council forward".

He described the Labour motion as "irresponsible".

Dylan Tiffin-Brown, two, and one-year-old Evelyn-Rose Muggleton were victims of separate murders.

Raphael Kennedy, Dylan's father, and Ryan Coleman, the partner of Evelyn-Rose's mother, were both jailed for life.

Serious case reviews found that Dylan was deemed by carers as "unlikely to suffer harm", while concerns about the welfare of Evelyn-Rose were also dismissed.

Mr Scott said in standing down, Mr Golby, in charge of children's services at the time of the murders, "would send a message that councillors do face up to their responsibilities", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Current cabinet member for children's services, Fiona Baker, said it was "appalling" that the opposition had used the children's deaths for "political gain".

Mr Golby had previously been called on to resign by Kettering MP Philip Hollobone.

Conservative Mr Hollobone said the Tory-run authority had been "dysfunctional for many years, but particularly in children's services".

Sally Keeble, former Labour MP for Northampton North, and Andrew Gwynne MP, Labour's Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, have already called on Mr Golby to resign.

Northamptonshire's children's services are currently undergoing an Ofsted inspection with the result due next month.