06 June 2003
The future of Labour-run Hull City Council was thrown into chaos this week after its chief executive was suspended for his alleged part in leaking the damning Audit Commission report on the authority's management.
Fears have emerged that ministers could now exercise their threat to intervene in the authority, controlled by the Liberal Democrats before the May election, which has been blighted by poor leadership, political infighting and financial mismanagement.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said it was 'concerned' by the news and was 'monitoring the situation very closely'.
Chief executive Jim Brooks has been suspended for two months pending the result of an inquiry into how the commission's infamous corporate governance report on the authority – which led the ODPM to threaten intervention – was leaked two months before it was published in 2002. The report ordered Hull to take immediate action to improve its services.
The decision to suspend Brooks was taken on June 3, after a unanimous vote by the council's internal Member Panel of Officer Employment, which claimed it was a 'precautionary measure'.
But the Audit Commission expressed dismay, stating: 'The council is at a critical point and should avoid anything that deflects attention from recovery and improvement. The absence of a chief executive at a time when the new management team is only just in post, poses a risk that momentum and focus will be lost.'
The council took the decision to suspend Brooks despite the fact that the Standards Board for England, which promotes ethical standards across councils, had also investigated the leak and decided to take no action against officers.
A frank announcement by the council on June 3 read: 'After full consideration, the member panel determined that a further independent investigation should be carried out into the issues raised… in particular the alleged involvement of chief executive Jim Brooks.'
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