EXCLUSIVE: Secret audit report exposes “fundamental weaknesses” in council spending controls
Calderdale Council want to keep a damning audit report behind closed doors. We've seen it, and believe the public has a right to know what it found.
Calderdale Inside Out has seen a restricted council report revealing “fundamental weaknesses” in the process of procuring and paying for highways contracts. The report, by the council’s internal audit team (AKA internal police) was discussed at a meeting of the audit committee this week, and it doesn’t pull any punches.
Several other parts of the service are also in the cross-hairs, raising questions about culture, practice, and whether senior council leaders have a grip on their business.
And this won’t surprise anyone…the council does not want this report in the public domain.
Discussion of the item on the Audit Committee agenda remained closed to the press and public, and the documents behind that discussion "restricted". We believe it is in the public interest for these findings to be published, as the report drives to the heart of how taxpayer money is accounted for in Calderdale.
How did the internal audit team get involved ?
The investigation was prompted by a council whistleblower’s concerns over “invoices submitted for a highways project by the appointed contractor” and places council leadership firmly under the spotlight. The A629 Phase 2 Halifax town centre regeneration and road improvement project alone has a price tag of £64 million, so the sums involved are significant.
Issues were first flagged by the whistleblower on 15 September 2025. The final draft report was issued by the internal audit team in July 2026, almost ten months later. The report gave a “limited assurance” opinion, in plain speak: internal auditors weren’t at all happy with what they found.
