 Cost over run in construction of Scarborough sea wall |
It has not been a good time for many councils in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. They are under the spotlight as local government scandals abound.
The Politics Show has taken stock of what is going wrong in our local government as there have been several high profile falls from grace.
On the East coast, the Conservative controlled authority in the seaside resort of Scarborough has faced a barrage of criticism for months over delays and problems with the building of its new sea defences.
The sea wall was estimated to cost around �28m but ended up doubling in cost to �53m. It was then discovered that the council illegally awarded the contract for the project and then tried to cover up a damning report which exposed its mistakes.
It was recently forced into publishing the report.
Meanwhile, just down the coast in Hull, the local council is a different political complexion - this time run by Labour.
This authority was seen to be so badly run that government inspectors have been in the city overseeing many of its operations for more than two years.
 Mayor Martin Winter faces police investigation |
Although its local government rating has slightly improved, at the moment, there is no sign of the government hit squad leaving.
In Labour run Doncaster, the town's first-ever elected mayor Martin Winter is facing two police investigations. One is into his election expenses and the other into his financial involvement in a local community project.
Opponents say that the problems in Doncaster go much deeper and that the relatively new directly elected mayoral system is fundamentally flawed - with too much power concentrated in one office.
 Town Halls are under pressure |
Last but not least in our (not exhaustive!) list of authorities dogged by scandal is Bradford.
The Tory-run council is awaiting an audit commission report due in late February 2006.
An investigation began after a council officer was suspended for allegedly breaking the rules in the bidding process for a �1.2bn contract.
It remains to be seen whether the political leadership will come in for criticism in the report.
The Politics Show for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire presents a special programme examining why local politicians and officers are under more pressure than ever.
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