Lib Dems hand over evidence of Council Leader's expenses to District Auditor

6.13.00pm GMT Tue 3rd Nov 2009

Kensington Town Hall © Copyright R Sones, licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence

Robin Meltzer, the Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Kensington, has written formally to the District Auditor regarding the expenses of Councillor Merrick Cockell, the Conservative Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The matter had been referred to the District Auditor by Michael O'Higgins, the Chairman of the Audit Commission, to whom Mr Meltzer had expressed concerns about the appointment of Councillor Cockell to the Commission.

Mr Meltzer said: "Councillor Cockell's appointment to the Audit Commission is wholly inappropriate. At the very least, his own record over his expenses is not conducive to the Audit Commission's mission statement - 'to promote value for money for taxpayers'.

"Councillor Merrick Cockell has claimed and received payments of expenses that are not authorised under the Members Allowance Scheme. I have sent the District Auditor documented evidence presented to me by fellow residents about the expenses of Councillor Merrick Cockell, and I have requested a full audit of Councillor Cockell's expenses so that residents here are no longer kept in the dark."

The saga of Councillor Cockell's expenses began at the end of 2008 when residents in Kensington & Chelsea expressed concern about allegations of inappropriate use by Councillor Cockell of the Council's Civic Bentley. Robin Meltzer explains: "When the truth got out about what the Bentley was being used for, it set in motion a whole string of other revelations about expenses which Councillor Cockell had failed to disclose."

A request under the Freedom of Information act in December 2008 revealed that Councillor Cockell had been using the Civic Bentley for journeys, on his own, without the Mayor. But in February 2009, Councillor Cockell wrote to the local Kensington and Chelsea News newspaper to deny his use of the Bentley. In his letter to the paper, Councillor Cockell said: "These [civic] cars are for the use of the mayor and deputy mayor. I have no official car. About six times a year the mayor kindly gives me a lift..."

As a result of follow up enquiries it became apparent that Councillor Cockell had used the civic Bentley (on his own) for a return journey to Heathrow Airport in connection trip to a New York Conference. The invitation was to Councillor Cockell in his role as Chairman of London Councils but the expenses were charged to Kensington & Chelsea. The expenses included Virgin 'Upper Class' air travel, luxury hotel accommodation, limousines in New York and also entertaining, what he described as a 'professional colleague' at the restaurant in the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel.

On 22nd June 2009, the Evening Standard published an article about Councillor Cockell's visit to the New York Conference and to another Conference paid for by London Councils. This second conference took place in January 2009. Councillor Cockell was quoted in the article with the comment that his expenses had been £800 a year over the last three years.

Following this Evening Standard article, Councillor Cockell published various papers on the Kensington & Chelsea Council website. These papers were accompanied by a paper from the Chief Executive of Kensington & Chelsea Council.

"The Chief Executive's paper contained a number of material inaccuracies, including that the longest journey undertaken by Councillor Cockell in the Civic Bentley had been to the Guildhall in London, when in fact there were two journeys to Heathrow Airport," said Mr Meltzer. "It is inconceivable that Councillor Cockell had not read and approved the paper from the Chief Executive.

"Meanwhile, in spite of his reference in the statement to his meal guest being a 'professional colleague', Councillor Cockell has resolutely refused to name the person he entertained at Council Taxpayers' expense. "

As part of these website statements, Councillor Cockell stated: "My expenses are mainly routine but I have been on one foreign trip to a conference, paid for by this council..."

As a result of additional Freedom of Information enquiries made by residents in July and August 2009, it became apparent that despite the claim by Councillor Cockell that that the Council had paid for only one foreign trip, that the Council had in fact paid for two more expensive foreign trips: one to Boston from 10th May to 17th May 2008 and one to San Francisco from 18th October to 25th October 2008. The enquiries revealed these additional foreign trips were again as a result of invitations received by Councillor Cockell in his capacity as Chairman of London Council, that he had again travelled Virgin Upper Class and that these visits were not relevant to Kensington & Chelsea Council, which had paid for them.

"Following these Freedom of Information responses, residents here in Kensington & Chelsea prepared a spreadsheet which they presented to me," said Mr Meltzer. "This spreadsheet analyses Councillor Cockell's expenses and establishes that far from the figure of £2,408 publicised by Councillor Cockell on the Council website, the expenses claimed by him that we have been able to ascertain are £13,407.33 for a three year period.

"The responses to a number of additional enquiries are outstanding, so this amount may increase even more. This is in addition to the £3,893.92 that Councillor Cockell charged to London Councils in expenses.

"Almost no explanation is given by Councillor Cockell of his expenses claimed from Kensington & Chelsea, but it is clear that in excess of £9,500 of this figure relates to London Councils and some £670 relates to Councillor Cockell's appointment on the City of Birmingham Excellence Board.

"I do not understand why Councillor Cockell's entertainment expenses have been reimbursed or paid in circumstances where this should not have been permitted under the Members Allowance Scheme, including a dinner for someone who had so little relevance to Kensington & Chelsea that Councillor Cockell cannot even remember their name despite dining with them in one of the most famous venues in New York.

"Why have Councillor Cockell's Expenses for London Councils and the City of Birmingham have been met by Kensington and Chelsea? Why has the cost of alcohol, 'extras' and added hotel days been claimed?

"Why was no disclosure was made of the trip to New York until it was exposed by the Evening Standard, and even after this, why were attempts made to conceal the trips to San Francisco and Boston from public scrutiny?

"Why did the 'full list' of expenses published on the Council's website understate Councillor Cockell's expenses by in excess of £10,000?

"These are the questions that I hope the District Auditor will set out to answer. It's time to clear this matter up once and for all by bringing everything out into the open so that the residents of the Borough can be confident that their Leading members are following the rules and conducting themselves in a manner befitting their office."

Related Link:

Read the Evening Standard article from October about Councillor Cockell's expenses.