New chief executive begins at troubled council

Mr Carr said he would "continue the borough's recovery"

The new chief executive of Woking Borough Council has spoken of the challenges facing the authority as he begins his new role.

Richard Carr was appointed managing director of the heavily-indebted council by the government in December as part of an intervention.

Mr Carr will now take on the role of chief executive following Julie Fisher’s decision to step down.

As he began, he said: "There can be no illusions about the scale of the challenges facing the council, which is why it finds itself under government intervention."

The Liberal Democrat-run authority effectively declared itself bankrupt in June 2023 with debts of £2bn.

Mr Carr said his primary focus would be "to enable the borough council to get back to discharging its statutory responsibilities in a way that is sustainable and focused on the needs of residents and communities in Woking".

He said "a huge amount of work lies ahead" and there would be "no shortage of challenges" but he was "determined to continue the borough's recovery" as "local people deserve nothing less".