Guildford Borough Council publishes independent Heminsley report findings
Guildford Borough Councillors took the decision today to release the report of an independent investigation into historic governance failures within the council.
The investigation is the final report commissioned into the issues by Guildford Borough Council, following the previous reports by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), published in May 2024.
Whilst SOLACE focused on the council's governance, culture and financial controls, this investigation, jointly commissioned by Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils, focused on the role of the senior officer leadership at the time. It was conducted by Heminsley Law, a leading independent law firm specialising in public sector investigations.
The independent investigation aimed to establish who knew what, when, and what actions were taken, or should have been taken, to secure compliance and deliver best value for residents and businesses.
Guildford Borough Council has an Improvement Plan, which it published in May 2024. It has also set up an Independent Assurance Panel, made up of independent experts from the local government sector, which provides advice and challenge to the council. In December 2024, the Panel published its first six month review of the council's progress, which confirmed that good progress was being made.
The Leader of Guildford Borough Council, Councillor Julia McShane said: "We recognise the importance of this investigation to understand what went wrong in the past and make meaningful changes to ensure a stronger future. Our residents deserve a council that delivers best value for them. Our priority is to do the right thing, not the easy thing, for the benefit of our residents and businesses."
With the investigation now complete, Guildford Borough Council continues to be committed to ensuring future transparency, accountability, and effective governance.
The Joint Chief Executive of Guildford and Waverley Borough Councils, Pedro Wrobel said: "We need to understand what went wrong in the past to enable us to move forward with confidence. This report is the last piece of the puzzle. I am now confident that our robust improvement plan addresses all the issues raised, and we will continue to focus on delivering this, to give our residents and businesses the brilliant level of service they deserve."
Read the full Heminsley Report.
Read about Guildford Borough Council's journey to improvement.
Published: 22 January 2025