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Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 13 September 2007

Penny Abraham

Town Hall stays quiet on alleged antique theft

Councillors warned to ‘back off’ and allow investigation to progress

OUTRAGED councillors were told to back off by Town Hall lawyers when they tried to probe the findings of a investigation into alleged thefts by council staff from the properties of the dead, dying and vulnerable on Tuesday night.
Nine months after the New Journal reported on the clearance of 92-year-old Dorothy Robinson’s Parliament Hill flat while she lay dying in a nursing home – and revealed allegations of systematic theft from other ‘void’ council properties – council officers were called before the Housing and Adult Social Care scrutiny committee to be quizzed by councillors.
A report to the committee listed 22 changes in the way vulnerable people’s possessions were protected and revealed that two staff faced disciplinary action for serious misconduct – but that no organised criminal activity had been proven.
Councillors were not permitted to see the full report by the council’s special investigations team.
Committee chair Cllr Chris Philp, who had demanded the report following the New Journal’s coverage, told them: “This is an extremely important issue. This is obviously theft and completely outrageous – we need to determine the vigour of this investigation... I demand to see the full internal audit investigation. Either we are chucking away valuable items or they are being misappropriated.”
But as he pressed housing department representative David Padfield for details of the investigation, he was warned three times that the discussion could prejudice the disciplinary case against housing department staff or lead to a slander claim.
Mr Padfield said: “The nature of their (the internal audit special investigation team) work is covert and they won’t discuss their methods.
“The misconduct is related to the actions of employees in relation to this particular case and to the electronic communications between the employees. At the moment the (department) must respect the need not to compromise the investigation.”
Other councillors expressed frustration that they were unable to consider the detailed allegations in the case, or repair the damage done to the council’s reputation.
Cllr Penny Abraham asked: “What plans are there to regain the trust of the old people out there who will be worried about what might happen to their belongings? We’ve lost a lot of trust among that population.”
When the committee’s council lawyer confirmed that the discussion could go no further, Cllr Philp scheduled a future scrutiny meeting to be held in closed session.

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