Government intervenes at Basildon over monitoring officer churn and governance failings

In a letter to the council's chief executive, the Government said that "deteriorating relationships between councillors and officers online and in council meetings" also contributed to its decision.

It cited evidence of governance weaknesses identified in a 2024/25 Annual Governance Statement, a limited assurance opinion for the 2024/25 internal audit report and by the Regulator of Social Housing in an April 2026 report.

The letter from James Blythe, Deputy Director, Local Government Stewardship and Interventions, also raises "significant audit and assurance concerns" stemming from a backlog of accounts, disclaimed audit opinions and findings in a 2024/25 report, including significant weaknesses in value for money arrangements and concerns about governance controls, procurement and contract management.

"Whilst the Department welcomes the Authority’s constructive engagement to date and recognises the improvements already made, it wants to see the Authority continue addressing the serious issues identified in this Notice at sufficient pace," the letter said.

As part of the decision, the Government has requested that Basildon participate in a short Government-commissioned non-statutory external assurance review to provide independent assurance on the authority’s governance, culture and financial management.

Basildon is expected to participate fully in the review, continue to increase senior officer capacity and stability, "making permanent appointments in a robust and timely manner and taking steps to reduce staff turnover in the long term," the letter noted.

It also called on the council to continue implementing and measuring cultural change, particularly by improving relationships between officers and members, among other things.

A spokesperson for Basildon said the council welcomed the intervention, "as it follows regular dialogue with the government department about a number of issues and concerns that we want to address".

The statement added: "We are aware that there needs to be effective relations between officers and councillors, good financial management and continuous service improvement. The C4 rating from the Housing Regulator has emphasised the need for improvements in performance, and we need a stable and permanent workforce."

Basildon’s chief executive, Gary Jones, added: "I have been engaging the government for some time as we have a number of major challenges to resolve and I welcome their intervention.

"Giving us an independent view on where we at and a clear improvement plan will be really useful. It is disappointing to find ourselves in this situation, but we are taking action to address the issues that have been raised."

Adam Carey