Key People

Chief Executive Officer

1989-2021 (32 years)

Architect of the borrowing strategy who led the council for 32 years and oversaw the accumulation of nearly £2 billion in debt. The Grant Thornton Public Interest Report found that Morgan exercised 'excessive influence' over the council and its commercial activities. Awarded an OBE in 2007 for services to local government - MP Will Forster has since called for it to be stripped.

Deputy Chief Executive

1984-2021 (37 years)

Long-serving Deputy CEO who worked alongside Ray Morgan for decades and supported the council's commercial borrowing strategy. Left the council in 2021 after 37 years of service.

Monitoring Officer / Director of Legal Services

1988-2021 (33 years)

Served as the council's Monitoring Officer for over three decades. As the officer responsible for ensuring the legality of council decisions, he should have flagged legal concerns about the borrowing strategy but failed to do so.

Section 151 Officer / Director of Finance

2014-2023

Served as the council's Section 151 Officer, the statutory role responsible for financial oversight and ensuring the lawfulness of expenditure. Failed to issue timely warnings about the unsustainability of the council's debt. Also held a directorship at KCSC while negotiating the GolDev loan for development on KCSC-owned land. Under FRC investigation since February 2025.

Conservative Council Leader

Council Leader during investment period

Political leader of the Conservative administration that approved and supported the borrowing strategy. Served as a director of Thameswey Ltd from 2012 to 2018 while simultaneously leading the council that funded it. Provided political backing for the commercial ventures championed by council officers.

Liberal Democrat Council Leader

2022-present

Became Council Leader after the Liberal Democrats won the May 2022 local elections. Inherited the financial crisis and has led the council through the Section 114 process, working transparently with government commissioners.

Managing Director, GolDev Ltd / Property Developer

Involvement with Woking: 2016-2021

Property developer whose company GolDev Woking Ltd received a £250 million revolving loan facility from Woking Borough Council - without a guarantor, without credit checks, and following what an independent review described as 'wholly inadequate' due diligence. The stadium and housing scheme the loan was intended to fund was refused planning permission and lost on appeal.

Appointed by Secretary of State

May 2023-present (led by Jim Taylor)

Team of commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State in May 2023 to oversee Woking Borough Council's financial recovery. Led by Jim Taylor, the team has broad powers over the council's financial decisions and has published four reports documenting the scale of the problems and progress of recovery.

Conservative Council Leader / Deputy Leader

Council Leader until October 2020

Conservative Leader whom the Grant Thornton Public Interest Report found was 'very closely aligned with the former CEO's approach to investments.' Provided the political cover for the borrowing programme and highlighted Victoria Square, Sheerwater regeneration, and the Victoria Arch project as key achievements.

Conservative Group Leader

October 2020-present

Replaced David Bittleston as Conservative Leader in October 2020, inheriting the political legacy of the borrowing strategy. Publicly apologised to residents and acknowledged the council 'took a wrong turn' in its dealings with the Woking FC stadium project.

Chief Executive Officer (successor to Ray Morgan)

January 2021 – early 2024

Appointed CEO in January 2021 to succeed Ray Morgan, having previously been Director of Community Services. Inherited a council on the brink of financial collapse and was in post when the crisis surfaced, the Section 114 notice was issued, and government commissioners were appointed.

Interim Director of Finance / Section 151 Officer

2023 (contract ended August 2023)

Interim Section 151 Officer who formally declared Woking Borough Council effectively bankrupt by issuing the Section 114 notice on 7 June 2023. Cited a debt portfolio of approximately £1.8 billion against core funding of just £16 million, with 'no prospect' of balancing the budget without large-scale external intervention.

Owner, Kingfield Community Sports Centre Ltd (Woking FC ground)

Purchased Woking FC in 2002

Bought Woking Football Club in 2002 when it was in financial crisis and owns the stadium ground via Kingfield Community Sports Centre Limited (KCSC). His company was central to the GolDev arrangement - GolDev was chosen by the football club and then approached the council for a development agreement, leading to the problematic £250 million loan offer.

CEO & Founder, Dukelease Properties

GolDev Woking director: May 2018 – January 2021

Founder and CEO of Dukelease Properties, a prime central London developer. Co-directed GolDev Woking Limited alongside Wayne Gold from its incorporation in May 2018. Both Richard and his brother Spencer Leslie were appointed and resigned as directors on the same day - 11 January 2021 - in an unusual Companies House filing pattern.

CFO, Dukelease Properties

GolDev Woking director: May 2018 – January 2021

Qualified chartered accountant and CFO of Dukelease Properties. Co-directed GolDev Woking Limited from its incorporation. Appointed and resigned as director on the same day as his brother Richard - 11 January 2021. Told the press 'no decision had been made' about Dukelease's involvement even after Wayne Gold publicly said Dukelease was no longer part of the scheme.

Managing Director, Moyallen Holdings Ltd

Victoria Square JV partner: 2013-2022

Managing Director of Moyallen Holdings, the Northern Irish property firm that was Woking Borough Council's joint venture partner on Victoria Square. Moyallen held 52% of Victoria Square Woking Limited, with the council holding 48%. The project ballooned from a £150 million scheme to over £700 million. Moyallen Properties went into administration in April 2022, after which the council acquired the remaining stake.

Independent Investigator

Conducted investigation into Woking FC stadium dealings

Retired barrister who conducted the independent investigation into the council's handling of the Woking FC stadium development. Found procedural failures, secret dealings, conflicts of interest, and a lack of transparency. Concluded that council officers serving as KCSC directors while negotiating the GolDev loan was 'driving a coach and horses through the Nolan principles.'

CEO, ThamesWey Group

Woking Borough Council officer → Thameswey director → COO → CEO

Former Audit Commission and Woking Borough Council officer who transitioned into the Thameswey Group, first as a non-executive director, then Chief Operating Officer (2015), and ultimately Chief Executive Officer. His career path - from council officer to head of the council-owned company group - epitomises the blurred boundaries between the council and its commercial entities.

Woking Resident / 'Armchair Auditor'

Raised concerns from September 2021

Woking resident who identified potential breaches of Public Works Loan Board lending rules and raised concerns with Section 151 Officer Leigh Clarke and external auditors BDO in September 2021 - nearly two years before the Section 114 notice. His warnings were ignored.

External Auditors for Woking Borough Council

Auditors up to and including 2019/20 accounts

External auditors responsible for auditing Woking Borough Council's accounts during the period of most aggressive borrowing. Accounts for 2019/20 through 2022/23 were never signed off by BDO, which ultimately issued disclaimer opinions and adverse value-for-money conclusions for all four years. Failed to act on concerns raised by resident Anthony Fraser about potential PWLB lending breaches in September 2021.

Auditors for Victoria Square Woking Limited

Auditors for VSWL during the Victoria Square development

Small Northern Irish accountancy firm that served as statutory auditor for Victoria Square Woking Limited - the joint venture behind the £700 million Victoria Square development. Formerly known as Wilkinson Harrison & Robinson, the firm has around 30 staff and is based in Armagh with a second office in Moy, County Tyrone - approximately five miles from Moyallen Holdings' headquarters in Dungannon. Issued unqualified audit opinions throughout the project despite net liabilities reaching £557.7 million.