Second postponed meeting puts children 'at risk'
LDRSA key meeting about child protection failings was postponed again after councillors did not show up for the second time.
Not enough panel members, made up of County Durham councillors and independent representatives, attended a meeting about Durham Constabulary's response to child protection failings for it to legally go ahead on Monday.
Darlington is represented by Conservative leader Jonathan Dulston, Labour councillor James McGill and Independent councillor Kevin Nicholson. None of the three attended and were contacted for comment.
Police and crime panel chairman councillor Robert Potts said unless the meeting happened "we can't ensure the safety of the children" in the area.
The panel had been due to question Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen over Durham Constabulary's response to May's inspection report which said the force requires improvement in how it investigates abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Allen was due to discuss progress made since the inquiry, including better oversight, targeting offenders and improving specialist safeguarding services.
She was originally due to update councillors in September, but that meeting was postponed for the same reason, with no representatives from Darlington attending.
Councillors could be heard saying "you're joking" as Potts announced it would be postponed again.
'Not something minor'
Nine members were needed for the meeting to go ahead but just eight panel members were present.
Potts said: "This isn't only the children of County Durham as in Durham itself, this is the children of Darlington as well, and unless we have these meetings then we can't ensure the safety of the children."
Potts said the issue was "not something minor", adding "Durham Constabulary were heavily criticised in this report".
"We're talking about children being sexually abused and for us not to be able to progress this a second time in a row is obviously very, very disappointing to say the least."
Potts said he did not want to criticise the missing members without knowing the circumstances, but said, "to me this is a very, very important issue".
The next meeting is due to be held in Darlington in December.
