The District Auditor has been investigating some of the detailed circumstances that have led to New Forest District Council paying out over £300,000 in a failed legal bid against a company that supplied floor surfaces to its’ Leisure Centres.

The conservative council was left reeling earlier in the year when details of the case emerged. The District Council made national news headlines and were even featured in the “Rotton Boroughs” section of Private Eye.

Local taxpayers will be picking up the bill, equivalent to £5 per head. An internal investigation revealed that the council decided not to compromise, believing that it had a 50/50 chance of a successful court case. In the event, the judge presiding over the case heavily criticised the authority over several aspects of its’ conduct.

No conservative councillors involved in the decision making process resigned. No officers were disciplined. At the time, the Chief Executive, Dave Yates, accepted full responsibility.

The findings of the District Auditor are to be revealed in a letter, to a meeting of the Standards Committee on the 25th September. The flooring company (TPS) initiated the investigation and are taking a keen interest as they were very nearly driven into bankruptcy by the actions of the council.

Cllr. David Harrison, Leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat group, called for the original internal investigation. He says “It seems remarkable that no council member or officer seems to have been disciplined over such an outrageous waste of taxpayer’s money. I’m very keen to see what the District Auditor has to say, if only because it might shed a bit more light on what went so very badly wrong”.