New boss of worst authority speaks of challenge ahead

Chief executive Rob Vincent was brought in from Kirklees Council to rescue Doncaster, which was branded the worst authority in the country after a savage Audit Commission report identified a series of failings, forcing the Government to effectively take control.

The council has already had to make savings of 5.2m and is facing 80m of cuts over the next four years.

Mr Vincent is working with three Government commissioners who will oversee the council's affairs, while the former Labour leader of Rotherham Council Mark Edgell acts as mentor for Mayor Peter Davies.

Mr Vincent said they expected to have to find 24m of cuts by 2012, although that figure will not be finalised until after the Government's comprehensive spending review this autumn.

A recovery plan is expected to be signed off by the end of October, and a recovery board will meet quarterly to vet progress.

Mr Vincent admitted he faced serious issues and warned there would have to be major changes to both staffing levels and working practices, but was confident the council could be turned around.

He said: "I haven't faced anything like this before – the combination of challenges is pretty distinct. There has been an enormous release of energy to meet this challenge – people are very determined.

"The scale of the challenge is such that it is helping to forge new relationships at the top of the organisation, across the political spectrum members are coming together for serious, objective discussions about the issues."

Mr Vincent said a review of the council's activities and practices will take place over the summer and admitted there will be staffing reductions "on a very large scale".

He also needs to recommend appointments for the senior roles of monitoring officer and chief finance officer.

The directive – issued under the 1999 Local Government Act – empowers Ministers to make those appointments.

One of the key problems highlighted by the Audit Commission was the lack of cohesive working between those at the top of the authority, with politicians and officers often divided.