The soon-to-be Nottingham City Council deputy leader has insisted the Government-appointed improvement board is pleased with the authority's progress. It has been argued commissioners taking over control of the council would be of no benefit to the city's residents despite years of significant failures which have cost the taxpayer millions.
Marked problems have been plaguing the city council for years, with many taking root while the authority was under the leadership of Jon Collins, including the collapse of Robin Hood Energy and - more recently - the misspend of up to £40m between the council and its arms-length housing provider Nottingham City Homes.
The recent discovery of the payments, £15m of which have already been deemed 'unlawful', date back as far as 2014/15 and have further tainted the reputation of the council in the eyes of the city and, particularly, council tenants. The money was, by law, intended for tenants and housing stock improvements but a large amount was instead transferred to the council's general fund to help prop-up other services.
