Plan for government intervention at Surrey council

Commissioners could be brought in to intervene in the running of a Surrey council which is more than £1bn in debt, the government has said.

A report into governance at Spelthorne Borough Council raised a number of concerns at the authority, which had a culture of being isolated and over-optimistic, and a poor record of addressing previous recommendations.

The Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said he is considering appointing a team of commissioners to supervise the council in certain areas.

The leader of Spelthorne, Joanne Sexton, said the authority had "agreed to work in partnership to take decisive action".

Spelthorne's debt is estimated to be more than 60 times the amount it spends on services, the second highest level of debt for a district or borough council in England, after nearby Woking.

A best value report by government inspectors said although there had been steps to make improvements, there were serious concerns across a number of areas.

In a written statement, Jim McMahon, said the proposal to intervene at Spelthorne was "not taken lightly", and was "designed to strengthen and accelerate the improvement work" at the council.

"I hope that with focus and oversight, improvement will come at pace and that it will not be necessary for the commissioners to use their powers," he added.

"However, they must be empowered to do so if they consider that the required improvement and reforms are not being delivered."

Ms Sexton said the council had faced a "challenging time" but was working to find a solution to confront the debt it "inherited".

The authority had met with Mr McMahon and had "agreed to work in partnership to take decisive action", she added.

Spelthorne has been given until 28 March to respond to the proposal.

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