SUFFOLK: A significant week for the county starts today as the law firm which is carrying out an inquiry involving chief executive Andrea Hill starts to sift through the contents of interviews of staff.

Multi-national law firm Wragge and Co, which is based in London and works with many local authorities across the country, was called in by the county council after it received “Anonymous whistle-blowing complaints.”

Staff from the law company have been carrying out interviews in Suffolk, but the last of these was scheduled for last Friday.

It is now due to compile a preliminary report for the county council.

Meanwhile the county is preparing for its annual meeting which will take place on Thursday.

New Conservative group leader Mark Bee is set to be confirmed as new leader of the county council at that meeting – at which he will announce his first cabinet appointments.

He is likely to have at least one new face in the cabinet – current cabinet member Colin Law is likely to be confirmed as the new leader of Waveney council, in succession to Mr Bee, at its meeting the previous day.

However with Waveney so finely balanced politically – there are 23 Conservative councillors, 23 Labour councillors, one independent and one green – nothing can be taken for granted.

Mrs Hill remains on extended leave from the county council while the inquiry continues and director of economy, skills, and environment Lucy Robinson is covering the position of chief executive.

However a spokesman for the county said Ms Robinson was not earning any extra money on top of her director’s salary.

And the council has said the directors’ team are effectively running the authority in a “collegiate” way in Mrs Hill’s absence from the authority – running the administration as a team.

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