The education department has been supplying regular monitoring reports to its committee, as is the practice among all councils, but the extent of the overspend, which covers two years, was not picked up. That was the responsibility of John Taylor, the assistant director of education in charge of finance, who was suspended and then sacked for falsifying his qualifications.

The council has had to take emergency action to rein in spending, including a recruitment freeze. Schools are now bracing themselves for yet more bad news. Full report next week.