Episode 3

A council in Essex. More than a billion pounds borrowed. Hundreds of millions handed to one businessman. And, somewhere along the way, public money helped pay for a country mansion, a yacht, a private jet, luxury cars, a Damien Hirst pickled sheep and a £250,000 revolving bed. So how did it happen?

In Intrigue: Chasing Mr Sunshine, Catrin Nye and Meirion Jones investigate the extraordinary story of Liam Kavanagh, known as ‘Mr Sunshine’, and Thurrock Council - a local authority that embarked on a high-stakes attempt to make money by investing in commercial schemes.

Over several years, Thurrock’s finance chief Sean Clark borrowed more than £1 billion from other councils around Britain. Much of it was invested in businesses linked to Kavanagh and his solar farm empire.

There were warnings. The council’s own advisers said one proposed investment went “far beyond the envelope of risk”. But the money kept flowing.

Eventually, the gamble unravelled. The government was forced to intervene, and Thurrock was left facing a financial catastrophe on a scale almost without precedent in British local government.

Catrin and Meirion follow the money and ask who made the decisions. Why were the warnings ignored? Who should be held responsible? And what happened to the man at the centre of it all?

This is the story of how one council went looking for a way out of austerity - and ended up at the heart of one of the biggest financial scandals local government has ever seen.

Presenters: Catrin Nye and Meirion Jones
Producer: Leo Hornak
Executive Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4