A PANEL of independent experts continues to review the management of all council contracts following long-term failings and abuses.

More than 30 interviews with council officers, interested parties and even MPs have taken place in the last month and more have been scheduled.

The panel also commissioned a spot-check of 60 contracts to see whether there was evidence of improvement.

The spot-check was carried out on contracts let before audit reports were published in 2008, which highlighted breaches of the council’s contract rules, as well as some let since then.

Findings in the 2008 audit reports led to the panel being commissioned.

Waltham Forest Chief Executive, Andrew Kilburn, said: “We are determined to put matters right in Waltham Forest and the panel is helping us do that.”

A report to the council's cabinet meeting on June 25 cited the work as a 'reputational issue’ which would 'provide a sound baseline for action if required by the council'.

In a serious indictment of existing processes, all contracts, payments and accounts are being independently assessed for legitimacy.

Also included is the assessment of the way the authority has responded to previous investigations into the mismanagement of contracts.

The tendering of new contracts is to be tightly controlled and a single officer is responsible for ensuring adequate processes exist.

Peter Rogers, chief executive of the London Development Agency, chairs the panel.

He is joined by Lucy de Groot CBE, former chief executive of the Improvement and Development Agency, and David Parr, chief executive of Halton Borough Council.

They all report to the chief executive.