ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2003, members of South Lakeland District Council's general purposes committee agreed to a new pay and grading scheme for the authority.

If it had gone ahead, the annual cost would have reached £1.6 million or £1 million more than forecast. The discovery of this discrepancy led to the suspension of three senior council staff members.

SLDC asked an independent person, local government expert Rodney Brooke, to investigate, and produce a report, the findings of which the authority has now accepted.

The Westmorland Gazette has obtained a copy of Mr Brooke's report, and MICHAELA ROBINSON-TATE looks at his conclusions.