A blistering report into the financial management of the Royal Borough has led to opposition party calls for Tory resignations.

The report by the professional body for people in public finance CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) questions the council’s much boasted policy of keeping Council Tax down for several years.

It states: “Our overall concern is that the lack of financial transparency and medium term financial planning over a number of years has masked the financial problems that the Royal Borough were facing and that, potentially, could have been avoided.

"For example, Council Tax was either reduced or frozen over a number of years. It is difficult to be precise over the exact basis of decision making but it was apparent that there had been a poor officer culture and lack of physical capacity and capability coupled with dominant members.”

The concern that the more highly placed elected councillors were too dominant with officers unable to challenge them saturates the report, which acknowledges that improvements have been made recently but warns ‘the authority has not lived up to the standards required’ and adds ‘it will take time and a change in culture to embed the changes’.

Yesterday Cllr Simon Werner - leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat Group - said: “The CIPFA report is a clear condemnation of how the Conservatives are running the borough.

“All the criticisms that myself and my fellow opposition councillors have made over the last few years have been confirmed by an independent audit.
“The financial failures have put us in a position were we are completely unprepared to deal with the disaster of Covid – with no money in the bank. This is why the Conservatives are now having to slash services, closing children’s centres end introducing new charges like those for Residents Parking Permits.

“This is a failing council.  Conservative councillors who were involved in this failure should resign.”
Council leader Andrew Johnson - who joined the Royal Borough following the period criticised in the report - said that he had arranged for it be fully discussed at the next meeting of the council cabinet on Thursday.