Nottingham City Council is given fresh instructions by the secretary of state.
To expedite changes, Council must heed the Improvement Board’s recommendations.
In three months, the Board will provide guidance on whether the current rate of advancement is adequate and if commissioners need to be appointed.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities today announced further steps to address shortcomings at Nottingham City Council (2 September 2022).
In order to enhance the work of the Improvement and Assurance board and enable it to promote changes at the Council, the Secretary of State has utilised powers granted to her under the Local Government Act.
The measures would provide the board the legal authority to force the Council to follow their recommendations, ensuring that they are bringing about the required improvements.
Greg Clark, MP, the Secretary of State for Leveling Up, stated:
The Improvement Board, led by Sir Tony Redmond in collaboration with the council leader, has made significant progress in bringing about the improvements that the community’s citizens have been calling for.
To guarantee the Council can fulfil its commitment to provide the greatest value, greater action is evidently required.
As a result, I have now issued Directives that will strengthen the Improvement and Assurance Board and quicken Council improvements.
The government had previously informed Parliament in June of this year that it intended to intervene in the Council as a result of “serious historical financial and governance failings” as well as “cultural failings and a reluctance to escalate issues appropriately,” according to independent reports commissioned in response to the discovery of unlawful Housing Revenue Account expenditure.
The Secretary of State has chosen to enhance the Board’s powers at this time rather than appointing commissioners after assessing evidence of the close and fruitful collaboration between the Council and the Improvement and Assurance Board.
The Board has been requested to report to the Secretary of State in three months and advise whether progress is still being achieved at a speed that is adequate or if further action, such as greater legislative interventions, is necessary.
He has mandated that the Council tighten its approach to long-term budgeting as part of this study.