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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Richard Partington Economics correspondent

Watchdog to investigate two former figures at bankrupt Woking council

The office of Woking borough council
The Guardian understands the individuals under investigation to be former chief executive Ray Morgan and ex-finance director Leigh Clarke. Photograph: Graham Prentice/Alamy

Two former senior figures at bankrupt Woking council are to be investigated by the UK’s accounting watchdog after it racked up more than £2bn in debt on a failed investment spree.

The Surrey council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 after ploughing vast sums of borrowed money into skyscrapers, a luxury hotel and other risky commercial investments, in what was one of the biggest financial failures in local government history.

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