The Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has officially confirmed today that the intervention will continue at Slough Borough Council.
Last month, the Minister announced they were minded to extend the intervention at Slough Borough Council for a further two years until November 2026. Following a period for representations on the proposals to be submitted, the Minister has today stated the plans are now confirmed. The council welcomes the move having requested a two-year extension ahead of last month’s Ministerial announcement and reaffirming support for this approach in the formal response to the ‘minded to’ statement.
This means we will continue working with commissioners on developing our improvement plans, new ways of working and managing the council’s finances.
As part of the next stage of the council’s improvement, the Minister has appointed a Managing Director Commissioner (MDC) at the council - a move that has worked well elsewhere. The MDC will have the same powers as Slough’s other commissioners. Will Tuckley, Chief Executive, is now confirmed as MDC, officially taking up the post with immediate effect. Will’s MDC role will be a dual role alongside his chief executive responsibilities for managing the day-to-day operations of the council. As a dual role, there is no additional wage for the MDC responsibilities. The remit of the MDC is to provide stronger links between commissioners and senior corporate management, while working very closely with the council’s political administration and all elected members to drive change.
Will Tuckley, Slough Borough Council Chief Executive, said: “I’m proud to be able to be a part of Slough Borough Council’s improvement and will be working closely with all involved, both within the council and with communities and partners across the borough to improve the council for the good of all.
“The Managing Director Commissioner responsibilities are designed to support the delivery of improvement work underway and complementing the remit of the Chief Executive role. The joint role of Managing Director Commissioner and Chief Executive provides a stronger link between commissioners and the management of the council to help support the democratic delivery of all we do.
“It is well recognised there is much work to do to rebuild the council and regain financial stability. The ongoing support from Government is essential to meeting the challenges as we work towards a better future.”
The appointment of the Chief Executive as a Managing Director Commissioner further stabilises the senior management team and there has also been better retention of staff within the council with staff turnover at the lowest level since 2022 and showing a positive trend of moving lower still. This enables the council to gain better grip of the challenges and delivery of the recovery actions needed in the short and medium term.
Gavin Jones, Lead Commissioner for Slough Borough Council, said: “The continuation of the intervention is necessary at this time to tackle the vast challenges involved in the council’s improvement. It has become clear that much more work is needed to provide stability and sustainability for the council’s operations and finances.
“The commissioner team welcomes the confirmation of the new government directions for the next two years and the addition of the Managing Director Commissioner role.”
The next steps for the council include implementing recommendations around financial sustainability, changing the way the council works (including a new operating model) to become a more efficient and smaller organisation, and a spotlight on the potential of Slough as a place to be proud of.
At the same time, it is widely recognised that the changes underway will take time and effort to yield the required results. As the essential work continues, the council remains committed to delivering services and working for all in the borough.
Cllr Dexter Smith, Leader of the Council, said: “I am pleased the government has confirmed the Best Value Intervention of Slough Borough Council will continue for another two years and welcome the introduction of the Managing Director Commissioner role.
“We know that there is no quick or easy way to turn round our council’s fortunes. The situation we are dealing with has been years in the making and so it will take years to resolve. We know there is no quick fix to reducing our extremely high debt levels, or to getting the council to live within its means and deliver best value services. But residents should start to see evidence, and feel the benefits, of continuous improvement towards these goals. Now we have the extra time and help from government to do that.
“I am committed to improving our council and the better future we are all working towards for the good of all who live, work and study in our borough.”