Uttlesford Lib Dems Demand Clarity of Leadership

3.26.09pm GMT Sun 10th Feb 2008

Uttlesford District Council's Liberal Democrat group has welcomed the publication of an independent report into the council's current financial crisis. The report by Bill Roots, former Chief Executive of Westminster Council, clarifies what went wrong with the council's finances and points the way forward to recovery.

Cllr Peter Wilcock, Liberal Democrat Group Leader will be proposing a motion to the Council, at its meeting on Tuesday 19th February, asking all political groups to work together for the good of the people of Uttlesford.

Peter Wilcock commented, "The ruling Conservatives have not yet given a clear indication of how they are going to address the weakness in the management of the council when the Chief Executive leaves in two weeks' time. I agree with Mr. Roots that we need to appoint a strong, experienced interim Chief Executive with financial experience to stabilise the council in the medium term. I have seen no evidence that the ruling Conservatives are going to make this happen. The council has only two directors left. To appoint an interim chief executive from within the existing staff would deplete the council's already weakened management, further demoralising the council's hard-working staff. We all need to work together to put the council back on an even keel."

The Lib Dems' finance spokesman, Cllr Geoffrey Sell, said: "It seems extraordinary that the Conservatives have let the council's senior paid officer go without any competent arrangements in place. Their decision to defer the recruitment of a Director of Central Services - wasting £23,000 spent on recruitment - is a missed opportunity to strengthen the council's management".

Liberal Democrat Cllr Alan Dean, who chairs the council's Scrutiny committee, added, "The Conservatives keep blaming the Liberal Democrats for the state that the council is in, but in reality the Conservatives do not know what needs to be done to correct the council's systemic weaknesses. Nor do they know how to give the council competent leadership - political and administrative.

Cllr Dean summed up, "I have spoken to local government experts in the East of England, who are not at all happy with the way that the council's Conservative leadership is handling a crisis of its own making. The crisis arises from a financial problem that could have been managed better and earlier, had the Conservatives chosen to do so."