Michael Burton reports on the battle to restore the reputation of Britain's most dysfunctional council, the only local authority in the UK to be run directly by government-appointed commissioners.

It was described as 'one of the gravest announcements any local government minister has to make' for no local authority in the UK has ever had its entire powers withdrawn. Yet the council was so 'ridden with chronic political infighting and misbehaviour' that the government was left with no choice but to take it over lock, stock and barrel.