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Comment: So where's the money gone, Ken?
Evening Standard5 Mar 2008
The resignation last night of the Mayor's equalities adviser, Lee Jasper, means he does not now have to appear before the London Assembly this morning. He was due to account for apparent serious irregularities in awarding City Hall grants. But his stepping down does not resolve the concerns about the grants, amounting to £3.8 million of public money, which were given to organisations that appear to have done little or nothing to deserve them. Indeed, he may now be questioned by police in connection with their investigation into one of those organisations.
The resignation came after three months in which the Standard has revealed not only concerns about the way he administered LDA money but the failure by his staff to declare foreign travel - questions that now apply to Mr Jasper himself. The final straw appears to have been emails we published yesterday showing a close, but undisclosed, relationship between Mr Jasper and Karen Chouhan, a senior figure in two organisations which received a total of £100,000 in grants from the GLA - a clear conflict of interest.
Mr Jasper always refused to give any explanation for his actions and has invariably resorted instead to accusing this paper of racism. And it is easier for him to blame, as he did yesterday, "the racist nature of a relentless media campaign" than answer the very specific allegations against him. But there are now police investigations into six organisations that received LDA grants at Mr Jasper's behest.
The apparent misuse of public money is a matter for all the people of London. London council-tax payers are people of every colour; we all require probity from public servants like Mr Jasper. Indeed, many of the individuals who have shared their concerns with this paper about the behaviour of Mr Jasper's associates have themselves been from ethnic minority communities. Playing the race card will not work.
The task of explaining these grants now falls squarely to Mr Livingstone. Mr Jasper has gone, but taxpayers' money remains unaccounted for. The Mayor has admitted that his initial claim that there was a "full audit trail with chapter and verse on how the money's been spent" for the grant payments was not accurate. But Mr Livingstone faces a bigger question too: explaining how a culture of financial irregularities appears to have become accepted in Mr Jasper's office. Earlier this week, the BBC showed he took a flight in the US paid for by a company called Virtcom, which had itself received £40,000 from the LDA; Mr Jasper's deputy, Rosemary Emodi, resigned in January after lying over a free trip to Nigeria.
The Jasper affair raises questions for the Assembly too. It was inexcusably slow in examining the Standard's allegations, allowing Mr Jasper to escape any proper internal scrutiny. Nor have Assembly members covered themselves in glory in letting the irregularities take place at all. Much of the material published by the Standard was in the public domain: it must be asked why no one on the Assembly appears to have noticed that anything was awry.
But most of all it is Mr Livingstone who must now answer the hard questions raised about the conduct of his close associate and the administration he leads. It is not good enough to blame, as he did last night, a "disgraceful campaign" for Mr Jasper's resignation. Until he actually addresses the question of what happened to the disputed grants, this affair will overshadow his office's good name.
Reader views (3)
Thank you for your unrelenting and unforgiving campaign. Quality journalism at its best.
- Scott Van Looy, London, 06/03/2008 12:02
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Congratulations to the Standard for a cracking piece of journalism. What has really stood out is the apparent arrogance of an administration that has always given the impression (rightly or wrongly) that they do not feel like they need to answer the allegations. As someone who works in media relations, this looks like a text book example of how not to manage a crisis. Either they have been getting poor advice or they have not been listening to it.
- Richard Evans, Hemel Hempstead, UK, 05/03/2008 21:05
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I am a resident of London and have always previously voted for Ken Livingstone, however I am now thoroughly sick of his refusal to acknowledge the growing public disquiet surrounding some of his top advisers. I think Lee Jaspers resignation is long overdue. His arrogance in claiming a 'racist' media campaign has forced him from his highly paid job is stunning. If Ken insists on reinstating Jasper should he win the next mayoral election, then Ken has lost my vote for good.
- Julia, London, 05/03/2008 13:35
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