New local government secretary James Brokenshire has announced the two commissioners appointed to help rescue troubled Northamptonshire CC.

In his first major decision, Mr Brokenshire said the commissioners would be led by former Lincolnshire CC chief executive, Tony McArdle, who chaired the Association of County Chief Executives from 2015 to 2017.

Mr McArdle will be supported by finance commissioner Brian Roberts, immediate past president of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and former deputy chief executive of Leicestershire CC.

Director of the County Councils' Network (CCN), Simon Edwards, said: 'Both know local government inside out and have proven themselves at successfully transforming the governance, organisation and financial management of local authorities in their previous roles.'