Government expands intervention at Slough to include recruitment of senior officers

The Government will expand its intervention in Slough Borough Council after persistent failure to deliver best value for local taxpayers, Local Government Minister Scully has said.

New powers have been granted to the Commissioners installed at the council, who will be given control over recruitment of senior officers at tiers two and three.

This move comes after a report from the Commissioners which outlined ‘unprecedented’ challenges at Slough Borough Council, following years of “financial mismanagement, piling debt and poor accounting practices.”

A period of representations was held, which closed on 11 August. The representations received agreed with or were neutral toward the expansion of powers for Commissioners and the Secretary of State has accordingly granted them.

The Commissioners report found that the Council was also overwhelmed by governance issues, and insufficient progress had been made to deliver proper value for money for Slough’s taxpayers.

This was despite the efforts of Commissioners who were sent into Slough Borough Council to address serious financial and management failures at the request of the former Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in December 2021.

Local Government Minister, Paul Scully, said: “The people of Slough deserve a council that can deliver for their needs and drive long-lasting improvements and a brighter future.

“Given the scale of the challenges set out in the Commissioners' report, I am granting further powers to Commissioners to help implement much-needed changes.

“I am confident that these expanded powers will support the Council so they can drive forward long-term change and protect hardworking taxpayers."

In a letter to the Commissioners, the minister said he understood that they intended to hold the powers in reserve.

Lead Commissioner Max Caller said: “I am grateful to the Levelling Up Minister for confirming the expansion of the Directions and his support for Commissioners’ work at Slough Borough Council.

“There is much to do and no easy answers. Getting the right officer team in place quickly is an important step in the Council’s recovery and in delivering best value for Slough’s taxpayers.”

Responding to the new directions, Cllr James Swindlehurst, leader of Slough Borough Council said: “To get us to the place to be a functional organisation again we have accepted the Commissioners may need the powers to get this sorted and we are cooperating.

“This is short-term while we are trying to get into a better place. We all agree we want an appropriately skilled workforce which can represent the diverse community of Slough. We hope the Commissioners hold these new powers in reserve and use them only if they feel we cannot make sound decisions ourselves.”

Lottie Winson