Government-appointed commissioners, appointed to Slough Borough Council following its financial and other challenges, provided a third report on the council’s progress in the months to July 2023.
The report has now been published on the government’s website and accepted by the council.
The commissioner’s report notes the progress made by the council since the intervention began 18 months ago, particularly commenting on the improvements in scrutiny of decision making, improvement in report quality and financial oversight, the new and stable top tier of officers, an openness and willingness to be challenged and the openness of the new Leader of the Council with staff as positive moves.
However, it also stresses the improvements still needed in IT and HR, a swifter pace of change required, the depth of issues being tackled in children’s services and the scale of cultural change still needed.
Leader of the council, Dexter Smith, said: “We thank the commissioners for their continued work in Slough, their work with my new administration and in developing this detailed status report. We particularly welcome the comments on the progress made by the council in recent months.
“We recognise there is still a way to go for our recovery, but we are committed to driving the changes needed so the council is sustainable, open and able to focus on the priorities of residents.”
Stephen Brown, chief executive, added: “We have come a long way. Our asset sales are progressing well, we have a balanced budget for this year and last year we even managed a small underspend.
“Despite this, our financial position remains challenging though we are all committed to Slough, our town and its residents and we will now continue to work towards financial recovery, furthering the significant progress which has already been made.”
“As a council we are well aware of the journey ahead and are committed to the recovery of the council.”