Commissioners handed powers to recruit staff at cash-strapped Slough council

Government-appointed commissioners have been handed further powers to try and help Slough Borough Council recover from its financial crisis.

The local authority needs to make at least £20 million savings a year to pay off its spiralling debts.

But it is also facing a shortfall of skilled staff at the council which has led to the Government handing commissioners the power to recruit workers without following the usual council procedures.

Council leader James Swindlehurst said the Labour-run council ‘urgently’ needs to fill job roles so proper teams are in place.

He said: “This is short-term while we are trying to get into a better place. We all agree we want an appropriately skilled workforce which can represent the diverse community of Slough.

“We hope the Commissioners hold these new powers in reserve and use them only if they feel we cannot make sound decisions ourselves.”

In a letter to the Government’s department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Slough Borough Council described the financial challenges facing the local authority as ‘unparalleled’.

The letter, signed by the council’s executive director of finance Steven Mair and monitoring officer Sarah Wilson, said the council’s financial woes had been caused by excessive borrowing, a failed council restructure and inadequate financial management.

It warned that a large number of council-owned assets will need to be sold while further changes will be needed to services in the area.

But the letter echoed the council leader’s claims that the local authority is ‘determined to own its issues’ in the medium to long term.

The new powers handed to commissioners will be in place until at least November 2024.