Cash-strapped council making progress, report says

York House Windsor serves as the council offices for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

A cash-strapped council has shown "substantial progress" towards financial recovery, an independent report has found.

The latest report into the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead was conducted by accountancy firm Grant Thornton and covers the 2024/25 financial year.

The report said the local authority had stronger and more transparent financial leadership and that it had taken effective action to "resolve historical accounting errors" inherited by the previous administration.

Despite the progress made by the council, the auditor did highlight "significant weaknesses" and made six key recommendations for improvement.

This was a reduction from nine recommendations for improvement in the 2023/24 report.

Councillor Lynne Jones, the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: "This independent report shows our hard work, to grip the financial situation we inherited, is starting to pay off.

"While it's not been easy, it's clear our plan is working, and we are heading in the right direction – with clear evidence to back that progress up.

"However, we aren't complacent, we continue to face significant financial challenges and we need to keep going – including continuing to put our case to government on necessary support for the future, so we are able to deliver the services that are important to our residents."