Council 'recognises seriousness' of bullying claims

Bedford Borough Council has said it "recognises the seriousness of the findings" of a government inspection that found evidence of bullying and a misogynistic culture across political groups.

Inspectors also accused Conservative Mayor Tom Wootton of "avoiding difficult decisions and conflict" and this meant commissioners could be overseeing work at the council for the next three years.

The local authority's chief executive Laura Church said: "The council has carefully considered the report's recommendations and recognises the need to accelerate our transformation and improvement journey."

The authority said it would continue its daily operations and address the issues raised in the full report.

The inspection team was appointed by the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government in February at a cost of up to £3,400 per day, with three inspectors spending three months at Borough Hall.

At about the same time, the authority was offered up to £80m of exceptional financial support from the government to tackle a multi-million pound shortfall.

A Best Value Inspection is a formal, statutory investigation ordered by the UK government to assess whether a local authority or public body is meeting its legal Best Value Duty under the Local Government Act 1999.

Wootton faced a no-confidence vote in July and Inspectors said he "lacks the leadership skills to create a positive leadership environment".

It added that this "contributed to poor decision-making and lack of prioritisation" while a background of "very competitive electoral politics" had created conditions for "low trust and highly combative politics in the council" across all political groups.

At the time Wootton said: "I understand the findings will concern residents and I take them extremely seriously. I am determined to see this work through and build a council residents can have confidence in, and be proud of."

Evidence was found of poor behaviours which had led to "low trust between members and officers, with capacity and capability challenges at officer level further damaging relationships".

The report added "the council faces challenges largely of its own creation and it could do a much better job of resolving them than it currently does".

The authority had 10 working days to formally respond to the government and said it recognised the importance of demonstrating sustained and measurable improvement. It said it was committed to addressing the issues and ensuring that it secured continuous improvement, financial sustainability, effective governance, and the organisational capacity required to deliver good outcomes.

Church added: "As we wait for the government's feedback to our response, we continue to work closely with staff, members and partners to provide vital services and support to residents in the borough."

Lib Dem opposition leader Henry Vann said: "We have put aside political differences to support the council's response collectively.

"But we must be realistic — there are sections of the inspection that are not fully addressed and need to be tackled, including waste and the ongoing financial and leadership crisis at the council.

"This year's budget alone is predicated on borrowing an extra £25m from government. We will continue to encourage the Conservative mayor to take these issues seriously."

The Labour party's group leader at the council, Abu Sultan, added: "The Labour group has strongly endorsed the inspection's findings and supports the intervention needed to put the council back on track.

"We will work constructively with the government, commissioners, council officers and colleagues across the political divide."

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