Tees Valley Combined Authority best value notice to stay in place

The combined authority was hit with a best value notice in April last year over governance and culture concerns.

It was set to last for 12 months before being reviewed.

A letter sent by MHCLG's deputy director for local government stewardships and interventions, James Blythe, on Wednesday (22 April), has now confirmed plans to continue the best value notice.

Blythe said he was grateful for the "ongoing dialogue" with the authority's senior team over the last year and that he recognised the "hard work" in responding to the issues identified in the notice.

However, he said the notice will remain in place "until the Department confirms whether we deem it necessary to continue to seek assurance through such a Notice or not, or that further action is needed".

The letter added: "The Department continues to require assurance of the Authority’s compliance with the Best Value Duty and Ministers are currently considering appropriate next steps based on the available evidence."

Blythe did not indicate when the best value notice is scheduled to end.

The 2025 notice highlighted a series of concerns relating to the authority, including audit reports which identified "significant weaknesses" in value for money arrangements across financial sustainability, governance and improving economy, effectiveness and efficiency.

It also pointed to the findings of the Tees Valley review, a review by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS), and an internal audit undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

Adam Carey