Croydon and Thurrock councils put into special measures

Government-appointed managers will take over day-to-day running after authorities fell into effective bankruptcy

Two local authorities have been put into special measures by the government after struggling to recover from the bad investments and governance failings that pushed them into effective bankruptcy.

The London borough of Croydon and Thurrock borough council in Essex have been told that government-appointed managers will take over the day-to-day running of the authorities, including overseeing all major financial and senior staffing decisions.