Bankrupt council looking for new committee members

Woking Borough Council effectively declared itself bankrupt in 2021

A bankrupt Surrey council is looking for new committee members to review its financial statements, risk management and audit arrangements.

Woking Borough Council, which effectively declared itself bankrupt in June 2023, is looking for two people for its audit and governance committee.

The appointments will be to the roles of independent co-opted member and chair of the committee.

With debts of £2bn, the council now has government commissioners in place until at least 2028, which could cost the authority more than £2.5m.

The council said the committee's role was to oversee internal and external audit arrangements, review and scrutinise financial statements, and review and assess the risk management of the authority.

The successful candidates would need "a wide range of skills, experiences and competencies" the council said.

These would include experience in the fields of audit, accounting, financial management, risk management and performance management, and experience working in a large public sector or not-for-profit organisation.

They would also need to be able to operate "consistently and without bias" over the four-year period of the role.

The committee chairwoman told the council of her intention to stand down in 2021, but recruitment to the role was deferred multiple times due to the council's bankruptcy and the 2024 general election.