Minister for Local Government and Homelessness (): I have previously updated
the House on this Government's commitment to reset our
relationship with local and regional government, to fix the
foundations of local government, and to support the sector to
build resilience. Today, I am updating the House on the steps we
are taking to support Slough Borough Council's recovery and
reform.
Slough has been in intervention since December 2021, with the
intervention extended in November 2024 until November 2026. I am
today publishing the latest Commissioners' report, received in
October, which outlines that the tentative progress identified at
Slough Borough Council in Commissioners previous report does not
appear to have been sustained. Some progress has been made, with
the internal audit plan being delivered and the internal audit
and counter fraud teams increasing visibility, targeting
training, and becoming an indispensable part of good governance
within the Council. However, the Council is still working to
improve the implementation of audit recommendations and
procurement compliance through better data use. There remain
significant in year budget pressures and a lack of strategic
focus and delivery of transformation plans and programmes.
This Government remains committed to working in partnership with
Slough Borough Council to support compliance with the Best Value
Duty and ensure the high standards of governance that residents
rightly expect. I also want to acknowledge the diligent and
hard-working members of staff at the Council who do their utmost
to provide essential front-line services for residents.
Nevertheless, I am concerned with the pace of improvement, four
years into intervention. Progress remains slow and the Council
lacks resilience to withstand unforeseen changes. Slough remains
far from where we expect it to be at this stage of the
intervention, with the Council still facing significant budget
challenges and requiring transparent governance, and strong,
corporate leadership. It remains imperative that the Council does
not lose sight of the scale of the improvement journey in front
of them. I expect the Council to continue to put in place all
necessary measures required, and I am grateful for the ongoing
support of Commissioners in ensuring the Council's stability.
In light of this slow progress I am today commissioning an
external review, led by Dame Mary Ney with support from Will
Godfrey. The review will assess Slough Borough Council's
improvement trajectory under intervention and identify what if
any further support is required to drive immediate progress and
to put the Council on a long-term sustainable footing. The role
of Commissioners at the Council will remain unchanged during the
review period. I expect the review to report back by May.
I will deposit in the House library copies of the documents
referred to, which are being published on gov.uk today. I will
update the House in due course.
