Government refuses council request for public inquiry into financial failures

The Government has rejected Thurrock Council's request that it conduct a public inquiry into the local authority's financial collapse.

In a letter, the Minister for Local Government, Simon Hoare MP, told Thurrock's leader that a public inquiry would not lead to a better understanding of the failings than the current measures.

Thurrock, which issued a section 114 notice in December 2022 in the face of more than £1bn of debt, called on the Government to launch a public inquiry in January this year.

Its request came after 1,500 people signed a petition calling for a public inquiry.

At the time, the council's leader, Cllr Andrew Jefferies, said a public inquiry would uncover more about the financial collapse and the errors that took place.

However, he also acknowledged an inquiry "would not produce anything new" that had not been uncovered in a previous Best Value Inspection or by the government-appointed commissioners who were sent in October 2023.

Rejecting the council's request, Hoare wrote: "I understand the strength of feeling in the local community about the failings of Thurrock Council that have led to a local petition and Council motion".

But he said a statutory public inquiry "would not provide sufficient additionality of provide further understanding into the historical failings or management of the council that is not being achieved through statutory intervention".

He added: "The Commissioner model in place remains the best and fastest way forward in providing a framework for continued progress."

He said the findings of the Best Value Inspection report gave a "thorough" account of the council's failure to comply with its Best Value duty.

The report, published in June 2023, revealed a number of areas in which the council failed to meet its Best Value duty, and blamed a "dereliction in political and managerial leadership" and inadequate governance arrangements for the council's financial position.

The report also included a number of recommendations the council needed to address in order to achieve Best Value for its residents.

Adam Carey