09 February 2007
South Cambridgeshire District Council faces external intervention after its corporate governance was slated by the Audit Commission.
The authority has been undermined by dysfunctional political leadership, in which councillors 'behave badly' towards officers and each other, according to inspectors.
They also found ineffective and inconsistent decision-making procedures and lack of managerial capacity.
The watchdog's report, published on February 8, concludes that the authority will not get to grips with its serious problems 'without external help'.
Audit Commission manager Nigel Smith said: 'This is a very worrying report for the people of South Cambridgeshire and for the council. The council has some very serious issues to deal with.'
The report did note, however, that some progress has been made following a change in senior management and political leadership.
Ray Manning, elected as council leader last month, vowed to turn round the authority.
'I say that enough is enough — there are going to be very big changes made around here,' he said.
PFfeb2007
