Conservatives have welcomed the news that a “Section 24” notice no longer applies to Redditch Borough Council.
The announcement comes as a credit to the hard work of Conservative Councillors at the council, and in particular Councillor David Thain who covers the Finance portfolio on the council.
David said in response to the report by the council’s auditors, Grant Thornton:
“We are pleased with Grant Thornton’s findings, but realise that more hard work is yet to be done and more difficult decisions lie ahead, which we will not shy away from.
He added:
“Grant Thornton’s report is testament to the hard work put in by the Finance Team and we will continue on this path to take the Council from strength to strength.”
Responding to the report made to the council’s audit committee, Salman Akbar said:
When we took control from the Labour group, the Council’s financial condition was very poor, and the Council was subsequently issued with a Section 24 notice by its external auditors. We made it our priority to address this issue and took some really difficult decisions.
Salman added:
Despite the additional challenges due to the pandemic, we are pleased to announce that the hard work has paid off and the Council is not under the Section 24 Notice anymore. Our commitment doesn’t end here, and we will keep on working hard to further strengthen Councils’ coffers. Our sincere thanks to everyone involved especially the Officers for their hard work and the people of Redditch for their trust in us.
The report auditors added:
“we are satisfied that the authority put in place proper arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources for the year ended 31 March 2020.”
