Tributes pour in after death of former Doncaster Council chief executive

Colin Jeynes, who headed up the authority between 1979 and 1993, died in Doncaster Royal Infirmary at the weekend following a recent battle with pneumonia.

A keen traveller, Mr Jeynes is understood to have picked up the illness on his travels and his death comes just a few months after the death of his wife Marion.

As well as serving as council chief executive for 14 years, Mr Jeynes was also heavily involved in the local community, serving as chairman of Friends of Doncaster Mansion House as well as being heavily involved with the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association and numerous other community groups in a lengthy career.

A spokesman for Friends of Doncaster Mansion House said: “Sadly, we have to report that our former trustee and our second chairman Colin Jeynes died this morning (Sunday).

"Colin was one of the people involved in establishing the Friends and supporting the work of the City Council in opening up the Mansion House to the public. He also acted as a volunteer guide.

“He had been in good health whilst on one of his foreign travels until contracting an infection, for which he was admitted to hospital but unfortunately never recovered.

Colin will be missed for his enthusiasm and for his commitment to the Friends.”

Mr Jeynes had recently been travelling in India before returning to the UK where he fell ill and was admitted to hospital.

An accountant by trade, after leaving school he joined Westminster City Council, beginning a local government finance career saw him work at eight local authorities.

He arrived in Doncaster in 1979 and then spent the next 14 years heading up the authority, before retiring in 1993.

But his career was far from over.

Along with three other chief executive retirees, he set up a company delivering public sector expertise to third world countries for the World Bank, the Commonwealth, the EU, and the British Governmen.

His first job was to help run the South African General Election of 1994 and during the same period, was appointed by the then Conservative government as one of three Commissioners which supervised the staffing transitions in the creation of new local authorities in the late nineties.

He was also appointed to chair an NHS strategic initiative on private investment in health services in the city.

He also chaired the Doncaster Strategic Partnership, an early attempt at getting the public and private sectors to work together for the good of the town, had been a member of the Rotary Club since 1976 and was awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship, the highest honour which the organisation bestows.

Mr Jeynes also served as Honorary Treasurer of the Doncaster Youth Jazz Association, the musical outfit which has given hundreds of young Doncaster musicians a grounding in jazz and musical performance and which helped launched the career of internationally renowned jazz star Dennis Rollins.