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Boris Johnson administration was today at the centre of new sleaze allegations after a top fire authority chief spent £900 in donations on two ball gowns while serving as Mayor of Brent.
The Met is investigating whether Bertha Joseph committed a crime. After her mayoral role she was made the Tory deputy chairman of the London fire authority — under City Hall's control — despite having been suspended for six months for bringing her council into disrepute.
Today the Standard can reveal that Ms Joseph, whom Mr Johnson has refused to sack despite repeated demands, has been reported to the police after losing an appeal last month against her council suspension.
A judge said there was “more than a possibility” that she had deprived two children's charities, the Down's Syndrome Association and Shooting Star, of extra income by spending the donations of £400 and £500 on dresses.
A Brent council investigation found that Ms Joseph encouraged two businesses — a butcher and a car dealer — to sponsor the dresses she wore to two mayoral charity balls.
The judge added that Ms Joseph had shown a “repeated lack of credibility” and that it would be wrong to expect her to serve as a borough mayor again “given the disrepute that she has caused to the office”. He ordered her to serve the remainder of her six-month suspension immediately.
Ann John, the former Labour leader of Brent, wrote to Mark Toland, the Met's borough commander, to complain. She said: “I would contend that Bertha Joseph has committed a crime. Quite simply, she sought money for the Down's Syndrome Association and she spent that money on her own wardrobe.” Last year, the Tories relied on Ms Joseph's vote to seize control of the fire authority.
Len Duvall, Labour leader at City Hall, said: “This councillor has been found guilty, lost an appeal and should go immediately. If she's not fit to sit on a local council, she's certainly not fit to sit on London's fire authority.”
Navin Shah, Labour vice-chairman of the fire authority, said Ms Joseph's presence on the fire brigade's governing body was an “insult” to firefighters.
He added: “At a time when politicians are keen to drive out cronyism and sleaze, allowing Councillor Joseph to hold any public position is wrong.”
A Met spokeswoman said a senior officer was looking into the complaint. She said the matter was looked at last year but had not been pursued after advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
A spokesperson for Mr Johnson said: “All the legal advice received by LFEPA [London Fire and Emergency Planing Authority] clearly showed that there was nothing to prevent Bertha Joseph from serving on the LFEPA board. The Mayor has the option to exercise discretionary powers to remove a member of the LFEPA board.
"What he indicated at Mayor's Question Time is that he is currently considering whether or not there is a case to exercise these powers.”
Ms Joseph, who was Brent's first Afro-Caribbean mayor, failed to return a call to the Standard this morning. She has claimed that she was the victim of a political vendetta after leaving Labour for the Tories.
Reader views (4)
I am stilling voting to get Brown out of office. Brown has done worst things that one can ever image!
- Max, London, 01/03/2010 23:43
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london Fire brigade Values are FIRST.
Fairness, integrity, respect, service, trust.
I can't see how Mz Joseph meets any of these?
fairness, I'm suspended, no matter I'll still continue on LFEPA.
Integrity, No integrity there.
respect, seems to be lacking.
Service, strong self serving element.
Trust, need I say more???
- Simon, kingston, 01/03/2010 23:41
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To Harold
If these charges are true then she should be charged by the police. Your comments re David Cameron and Tory Cronies are misplaced. It is the entire political establishment that is at fault here. The Palace of Westminster expenses scandle was not confined to one political party (though Labour MPs and Peers were in the majority and Blair and Brown did nothing to stop it while they were in power)and I would like to see the last 10-15 years of expenses investigateed and I am sure we will be doggy claims by all parties. What you have done is try to make a cheap political point - the problem is too big and serious for that.
- Very Angry At Mp'S Expenses, Home Counties, 01/03/2010 17:33
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I'm grateful to Boris for giving us an idea what a David Cameron Government would be like. How many more of his Tory Cronies are going to be forced to resign?
- Harold West, Acton England, 01/03/2010 14:23
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