Council chiefs have done a U-turn over their announcement that internal auditors would have to pull out of a major investigation in the district's training centres.

They have taken further legal advice and say they have found a way of keeping the officers working on the serious irregularities which have been found.

Internal Audit is probing NVQ courses at the Council training schemes in Metrochange House, I-Tech and Mitre Court with the Government's Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

The main examining body, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is also involved in the probe.

The LCCI has announced that 41 NVQ awards given at Metrochange House are invalid and the work of 80 other students will have to be redone.

In all cases the students will have to start again almost from scratch.

The announcement of the withdrawal of auditors had been made by regeneration committee chairman Councillor Dave Green and Strategic Director David Kennedy.

They said they took legal advice after Tories moved the issue up to the full Council meeting.

Coun Green said the technical advice they received from officers then was that the internal audit would have to stop until the council meeting.

But today he said: "We have looked at Standing Orders and found a way of carrying on.

"The debate at full Council will go ahead, and I am happy for it to do so.

"But I am not prepared to let that procedural technicality put a complete stop to the progress being made to put this matter right.''

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