A NUMBER of senior staff in the housing department at Redditch borough council have been suspended pending an investigation into contracts said to be worth up to £7million.
The Redditch Standard understands the action results from a probe into the fate of money in the council’s capital works programme.
This is money from the Housing Revenue Account made up of loans, grants and rent money which is used for improvements to council houses like installing new boilers, central heating and insulation.
We understand the investigation focused on contracts awarded and payments made to several contractors who had been working long hours at the town hall.
Following an internal investigation it is believed the council itself asked for the auditor to come in.
The staff were then suspended by the authority’s chief executive Kevin Dicks.
The news is the latest embarrassment for the council’s housing department which in 2015 found itself in the firing line after it was discovered that 927 homes were overdue a gas safety inspection.
That failure led to an investigation by the government’s Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
At the time the HCA said an internal audit carried out by the council had found: “That the issue arose due to inadequate contract management, failures in recording and incomplete records and contractor failure.”
As a result of this there were calls from opposition Conservatives for the resignation of the councillor in charge of the housing portfolio, Councillor Mark Shurmer (Lab, Lodge Park) which failed.
However this latest investigation turns another spotlight on the embattled housing department at the authority.
In a statement, Redditch borough council said: “A review of contracts has taken place within Housing Capital and a number of employees are assisting with matters arising from that review and as such will be unavailable for working their normal duties.”
