STORY
North Yorkshire Council has brought in financial investigators to examine its loss-making housing company Brierley Homes, after councillors were told that the company had appointed Veritau to review decisions made over recent years.
The council’s executive committee heard that Brierley Homes had reported a £7.5 million loss for 2025/26, despite earlier forecasts suggesting a profit of around £700,000. The poor performance has been attributed to lower than expected income from sales, increased costs, delays in completing homes and higher overheads and interest costs.
Councillor Mark Crane, the executive member for open to business, told councillors that the authority was keeping a close eye on the company and said the appointment of a new managing director was a positive step. He added that Veritau would report back to the shareholder board and the executive with any recommendations or findings.