Crisis-hit council fails to find new finance boss

A local authority which declared a "financial emergency" and said it risks going effectively bankrupt, has failed to find a new finance director.

Somerset Council has now appointed an interim chief finance officer, the third in a year, at a cost of £7,000 a week.

The role includes a statutory position, called a Section 151 Officer, which the council legally has to fill.

A report about the recent external recruitment process said it was a "difficult role to fill on a substantive basis and unfortunately, despite a national search, the council was not successful in identifying a suitable candidate".