Following further revelations in The Guardian newspaper on 14th February, Councillor Alan Hall said at a meeting of Lewisham Council’s scrutiny committee held on the same day:
“I welcome the Mayor’s [of Lewisham’s] decision to resign as a Trustee and Director on the board of Surrey Canal Sports Foundation. There remain many questions surrounding the organization and, given that there has been sufficient concern to prompt several high-profile resignations already, it is appropriate that the Mayor leaves. Furthermore, it is appropriate that the Mayor continues to maintain his separation from decisions surrounding the New Bermondsey Development and the Compulsory Purchase Orders.
“Meanwhile, it is vital to ensure that the proposed inquiry is truly independent and that the terms of the inquiry are not set by those people whose decisions will be reviewed. This includes the Mayor but also the Chief Executive, the Head of Law and the Deputy Mayor.
“It is essential that Lewisham Council continues to retain the confidence of Lewisham residents who place great trust in councillors to do the right thing. I would like to reassure everyone that the Overview and Scrutiny process which I chair, will not be bounced into any rushed decisions and that we will review what are the next steps to take to ensure that this Labour Council retains the public’s trust in its ability to do the right thing that’s why I have requested that the latest allegations in The Guardian be included in the Inquiry tonight.”
The latest allegations were published on 14th February 2017by Barney Ronay in The Guardian:
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In a stunning twist to the Millwall CPO debacle newly released documents show Lewisham council and Renewal made a series of false claims while securing a £20m grant from Boris Johnson
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The allegations in The Guardian of 8th February have been asked to be included in the Independent Inquiry see here: