Council seeking to recover £1m in funds lost in troubled building safety and compliance programme

Speaking in a cabinet meeting earlier this month (9 September), the unitary authority's leader, Nick Ireland, said that investigations are "ongoing" and the council hopes to increase its claim "as appropriate".

News of the mismanaged programme came in July, when a report from the South West Audit Partnership (SWAP) revealed that a lack of oversight allowed the Assets and Regeneration Team's budget to surge from £4m to £13m.

The circumstances had led the council to terminate the contracts of 11 interim members of staff in the Place, Assets and Regeneration Team.

Providing an update on the case, Cllr Ireland said the "failures and how the council managed its health and safety approach to its buildings from 2019 was a focus" for the Audit and Governance Committee.

He added: "Much work has been undertaken. This is a hugely complex and challenging set of circumstances, and the Audit Committee has asked Cllr Clifford, cabinet member for finance, to lead a cross-party group to review the work that is being carried out to look at next steps and report back on the learning that needs to be ingrained across the whole council.

"I can add that we are taking steps to reclaim funds that we believe are due, at least £1 million at the last count."

Councillors will have the chance to "air their concerns" in a public meeting in the future, he noted.

SWAP's audit report, published in July, highlighted issues around poor financial control, lack of adherence to financial procedures and lack of programme and project management.

It also identified governance failures in a number of areas, including the recruitment of interim staff, the creation and use of budget codes, procurement practices, and payment approvals.

Adam Carey