Council recovery ‘far from where we expect it to be’, minister says

A government minister has said she is ‘concerned’ by the pace of improvement at Slough council four years into work to fix its finances – saying it is ‘far from where we expect it to be.’

Slough’s financial problems came to a head in 2021, when it issued a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself unable to balance its budget and halting most new spending.

To tackle this, the Government intervened and appointed commissioners to oversee the council and help restore proper governance and financial management.

This intervention was extended in November 2024 until November 2026.

But the minister of state for local government and homelessness, Alison McGovern, has said she is concerned by the rate of progress.

The latest commissioners’ report, received in October, says that the ‘tentative’ progress made by Slough council ‘does not appear to have been sustained.’

Some progress has been made, wrote Ms McGovern in a written statement on Thursday (March 5); the internal audit plan is now being carried out, and teams are providing targeted training.

However, the council still needs to do more to make sure audit recommendations and procurement rules are properly followed.

There remain ‘significant’ budget pressures and ‘a lack of strategic focus’ on transformation programmes.

Ms McGovern acknowledged the ‘diligent and hard-working’ members of staff at the council ‘who do their utmost’ to provide essential services for residents.

“Nevertheless, I am concerned with the pace of improvement, four years into intervention,” the minister wrote.

“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.”

The council is still facing ‘significant’ budget challenges, she wrote.

“It remains imperative that the council does not lose sight of the scale of the improvement journey in front of them,” wrote Ms McGovern.

“I expect the council to continue to put in place all necessary measures required.”

In light of the slow progress, the minister is commissioning an external review, led by Dame Mary Ney, a public servant with a long record of dealing with problems in local councils.

With support from Will Godfrey, a senior local government officer, she will assess Slough council’s improvement trajectory and identify what, if any, further support is required.

The hope is to ‘drive immediate progress and to put the council on a long-term sustainable footing.’

The role of external commissioners placed with Slough council will remain unchanged during the review period.

Councillor Dexter Smith, leader of the council, said: “The report from the commissioners rightly holds us to account for our progress, which has been slower than any of us have wished for.

“Since the report was written, we have made small but vital improvements.”

This includes a ‘comprehensive’ transformation programme being approved by cabinet in February, and its medium-term financial plan (MTFP).

Cllr Smith expects the MTFP to be ratified by full council tonight – despite it already having been turned down once.

https://www.sloughexpress.co.uk/news/council-and-politics/704234/slough-council-votes-against-2026-27-and-medium-term-budget-plans.html

“We believe this review will offer fresh perspective on the council’s progress under intervention,” Cllr Smith continued.

“It is an opportunity to address the progress we have made, the work still to be done and provide an opportunity for renewed momentum which will benefit us, but most of all our town.”