Dorset Council pledges accountability and improvement in response to investigation reports

Dorset Council acknowledges the seriousness of the findings from two critical investigations into urgent health and safety compliance work carried out between December 2022 and October 2024. The investigations were conducted by South West Audit Partnership (SWAP), an independent auditor, and have identified significant weaknesses in governance, financial controls, procurement practices, and oversight.

The council’s Monitoring Officer commissioned these investigations in November 2024, after concerns were raised internally by officers and Cabinet members about non-compliance with financial controls and escalating overspend on health and safety works in council-owned buildings. At the same time, the decision was taken to terminate the contracts of 11 interim officers in the Assets and Property team with immediate effect.

The first investigation looked into the management of the council’s building health and safety compliance programme, and identified systemic failures including:

• Non-compliance with financial and procurement procedures
• Inadequate oversight of interim appointments and budget approvals
• Poor record-keeping and lack of transparency in contract awards
• Instances of potential conflicts of interest and breaches of the council’s Code of Conduct for officers

This investigation report was reviewed by the council’s Audit and Governance committee in a private meeting held on 7 July. The council has now published a high-level summary of the investigation report on its website. The Audit and Governance committee will meet in public to discuss these issues in October 2025

In parallel, a separate audit looked at contract and expenditure compliance. This audit report was discussed at Audit and Governance committee in public on 2 June. It identified gaps between the council’s decision-making authority and its financial systems, raising concerns about authorisation limits, procurement processes, and the transparency of high-value spending.

In response to the investigation reports, Dorset Council has developed a comprehensive action plan which is currently being implemented, including:

• Strengthening financial oversight and budget monitoring
• Improving procurement and contract management processes
• Enhancing governance and member involvement in complex decisions
• Reviewing recruitment and management of interim and agency staff
• Providing enhanced training and guidance for officers
• Ensuring regular monitoring and reporting to the Audit and Governance Committee

 

Cllr Nick Ireland, Leader of Dorset Council, said:

“I take the findings of the two external reports extremely seriously. Although the original intent of the work carried out from 2022 was to improve safety and address prior shortcomings, the way it was delivered at that time did not meet the standards our residents rightly expect. This matter predates the current administration, and I fully support the commitment to transparency and accountability.

“A robust action plan has since been developed, and a dedicated team is in place to drive the necessary improvements. It is essential that public funds are managed with the highest standards of integrity.

“I welcome the scrutiny of the Audit and Governance Committee and fully endorse the organisation’s commitment to learning from past mistakes to ensure such failures are never repeated.”

 

Interim Chief Executive, Sam Crowe added:

“We fully recognise how concerning and disappointing these findings will be for our residents. The failures identified in these reports fell far short of the standards people should be able to expect from Dorset Council. I also acknowledge that councillors were not involved in the way they should have been at the time. This limited their ability to intervene or hold the organisation to account.

“As the council's leadership team, we take full responsibility for addressing what went wrong and ensuring it cannot happen again. We will work hard to regain trust through transparency, learning, and by sharing progress on improvements with the public.”

 

The summary report can be found on our website at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/health-and-safety-compliance-investigation-2025