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November 13, 2024
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Finance

Bradford Council drafts in expert to help with financial woes


Image source, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Image caption,

New finance chief Steven Mair, pictured at Slough Borough Council, has experience working with councils facing effective bankruptcy

  • Author, Claire Wilde
  • Role, BBC News

Bradford Council has drafted in a specialist to overhaul its finances as it tries to avoid going bust.

Steven Mair became the authority’s interim director of finance last month.

He had previously been brought in by councils in Essex and Berkshire as they went through effective bankruptcy.

A Bradford Council spokesperson said officers were pleased he would “support us at this financially challenging time”.

They said Mr Mair had “extensive experience of dealing with successful financial and change management projects across several local authorities”.

‘Wealth of experience’

The spokesperson said: “We are very pleased to welcome Steven to Bradford and are sure that he will bring his wealth of experience to the district and work with officers and members to support us at this financially challenging time and in developing a five-year plan to move to a more sustainable financial position.”

The cash would not be a bailout but would instead be borrowed, according to a report by Mr Mair which details “financial challenges on an unprecedented scale”.

Mr Mair, who declined an interview with the BBC, had joined cash-strapped Slough Borough Council in 2021 after the previous incumbent resigned amid a damning auditors’ report.

However, he was unable to avoid its financial collapse and issued a Section 114 notice – effectively declaring the council bankrupt – within a few months.

In September 2023, Mr Mair was drafted in to another troubled authority, Thurrock Council in Essex, which had already declared effective bankruptcy after accruing more than £1bn in debt through failed investments in solar farms.

He was brought in by government-appointed commissioners.



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