Doncaster is a metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England.

In addition to the town of Doncaster, the borough covers Mexborough, Conisbrough, Thorne and Finningley, where the former Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber base is being converted into a passenger airport, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, due to open in spring 2005.

The town was the centre of the South Yorkshire Coalfield until it closed down during the 1980's. It was also a large railway centre and remains as such, although less important than it once was.

The council was the subject of a major police investigation in the late 1990s, when it became apparent that several councillors were guilty of corruption. Over twenty councillors, all of them from the majority Labour Party, admitted to various frauds or were convicted of them, leaving very few Labour councillors in their jobs. Most of them had made quite small false expense claims, but some had taken large bribes in return for granting planning permission.

It is widely thought that this scandal, which became popularly known as "Donnygate", was a major factor behind the residents of the area voting for the establishment of a directly-elected mayor in 2001. The first mayor, Martin Winter, representing the Labour Party, was elected in 2002. The council as a whole has been dominated by the Labour Party traditionally, but in the 2004 local elections, they lost overall control of the council (though they retained more councillors than any other single party).

Places

Settlements in the borough of Doncaster include:

Adwick-le-Street, Arksey , Armthorpe , Askern, Auckley , Austerfield

Balby, Barnburgh , Barnby Dun , Bawtry, Belle Vue, Bentley , Bessacarr, Blaxton, Braithwaite , Braithwell , Branton , Brodsworth , Burghwallis

Cadeby , Campsall, Cantley, Carcroft , Clayton, Clifton , Conisbrough

Denaby , Dunsville

Edlington

Fenwick, Finningley, Fishlake

Hampole, Hatfield, Hayfield , Hexthorpe , Hickleton , High Melton , Hooton Pagnell

Kirk Sandall

Loversall

Mexborough

Norton

Rossington

Scawthorpe , Skellow , Sprotbrough , Stainforth, Stainton, Sykehouse

Thorne, Tickhill

Wadworth, Warmsworth , Wheatley

External links

• Doncaster Online
• Doncaster Belles L.F.C. homepage
• Doncaster Rovers F.C. homepage
• Doncaster Races homepage
• Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield