THE chief executive of under-fire Blaenau Gwent county borough council yesterday pledged to work with the Wales Audit Office in its investigation of the way the authority is run.

The Argus yesterday exclusively revealed the WAO probe into the overall running of the Independent-run council which comes a week after the publication of a damning Estyn report into the running of the education service in the area which said children were being failed.

As a result the council was stripped of its executive powers over education, the local education authority was placed in special measures and a board from Neath Port Talbot council set up to run the department.

The council’s chief executive officer David Waggett yesterday said all local authorities in Wales have regular external and internal reviews, including those by the WAO "Its last annual improvement report on Blaenau Gwent noted that, as with any council, it would be unusual not to find things that can be improved. The audit and inspection body gave the council several proposals to help us further improve. I’m pleased that we’ve been making demonstrable progress on them all," his statement said.

"The council knows it must do better in some areas, but I am confident that overall we do have good governance arrangements. We have also worked with the Wales Audit Office, as it conducted its annual audit over the past few months. We look forward to continuing to work with the Wales Audit Office."

But a Welsh government spokeswoman said the WAO probe had been launched in response to corporate failings identified in the Estyn report.

She said: "While the auditor general routinely inspects all local authorities on these terms, last week’s Estyn report clearly means that Blaenau Gwent needs particular attention."

Councillors are due to discuss the damning report for the first time today at a special meeting of the council.

Calls for leader to step down

BLAENAU Gwent AM Alun Davies yesterday called on council leader Des Hillman to step down over the education crisis.

Cllr Hillman emerged from a partnership meeting with the independent councillors last Friday unchallenged and determined to get the council back on track.

This news outraged Labour AM Mr Davies, who said: "I don't think the council can go forward with the present leadership, he (Cllr Hillman) does not have sufficient credibility. From what I can see up to now the current leadership does not understand the desperate situation the council is in.

“He (Cllr Hillman) is putting his political career ahead of the needs of the children of Blaenau Gwent.”

Cllr Hillman said: “All we are trying to do as an authority is to resolve the very important issues for the children of Blaenau Gwent. We want stability so that we can move forward and, when asked by the advisory board, to help raise standards."