Opportunities Fund

The Opportunities Fund was a discretionary pot of approximately £3 million that was controlled by CEO Ray Morgan. The fund allowed Morgan to authorise spending on various initiatives without going through the normal council committee approval process.

The existence of such a fund, under the personal control of the chief executive, is highly unusual for a local authority and represents a significant governance failure. Normal procurement and approval processes were bypassed.

The Grant Thornton Public Interest Report identified the Opportunities Fund as an example of the inadequate governance and excessive CEO influence that characterised the council's operations.

The full extent of how the Opportunities Fund was used and whether its spending represented value for money remains unclear. Record-keeping and accountability for the fund's expenditure was minimal.