Pressure grows on Lambeth Liberal Democrat housing boss
Lambeth’s Labour councillors are putting pressure on the ruling Liberal Democrats to take responsibility for the £3 million fraud which has hit the council. Labour has called a special council meeting to examine how the massive fraud was allowed to take place. Liberal Democrat Housing boss Keith Fitchett has come under intense pressure to resign following the fraud, but has been hanging on to power by his finger-nails over recent weeks. A vote will take place at the meeting on whether Councillor Fitchett should resign. All eyes will be on the Conservative Councillors in co-alition with the Liberal Democrats. Their votes will be crucial in deciding Councillor Fitchett’s fate but they have so far refused to publicly state their position. The Leader of Lambeth’s Labour Opposition, Cllr Steve Reed said: "£3 million of council taxpayers money has already been lost as a result of the Lib Dem's failure to run the housing Department competently. Basic checks were not carried out and normal financial procedures were ignored." "Lib Dem Keith Fitchett is supposed to be responsible for the housing department, but instead of doing the honourable thing and resigning, he is clinging on to his position. “Any attempt to shuffle him to another
service area would simply move an unsafe pair of hands from one department
to another. Labour will accept nothing less than his resignation from
the Council Executive." |
