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Frixos Tombolis |
Councillor faces ban over licence
Leading Tory’s error had no impact on outcome of restaurant’s
hours bid
A TOP Tory councillor is to be banned from serving on any judicial committee following an internal investigation.
On Tuesday Councillor Frixos Tombolis was censured by the Standards Board, which monitors ethical standards in councils, over actions following a licensing application.
The 41-year-old, a West End ward councillor, was found to have brought his office into disrepute at the hearing in City Hall.
He had signed a letter wrongly stating there were no objections to an application from Jimmy’s Greek restaurant in Frith Street to extend its licensing hours to 3am.
The Soho Society, which objected to the application, later lost an appeal over the decision.
In the letter Cllr Tombolis also said the restaurant had been granted the licence without proper consideration in the rush to hear applications before the 2003 Licensing Act. He said: “Clearly I made a mistake and I’ve apologised. I accept the decision and fortunately there were no adverse consequences for the council and also no suggestion of financial impropriety. The decision to bar me from quasi-judicial committees is reasonable. My error had no impact on the Jimmy’s appeal.”
Despite protests the restaurant won its licence but the council’s director of legal services, Colin Wilson, referred the letter to investigators at the Standards Board.
The council is now recommending Cllr Tombolis be relieved of the judicial duties.
A spokesman for the council said: “The censure of Cllr Tombolis means that he has received a rebuke from the standards committee. The recommendation that he should not be a member of any quasi-judicial committee or sub-committee will now go to the relevant party whip.”
Cllr Tombolis is director of the Bayswater Inn in Prince’s Square and teaches at a private college near Aldgate.
He represented Bayswater ward from 1998 until 2006.
His work as chairman of a licensing committee made him a perfect candidate for the West End ward in 2006.
He has served as vice-chair of the transport committee, lead member for social services, chair of the health and community services scrutiny committee and deputy cabinet member for community protection.
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