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OUTCRY AT FRAUD BILL
SHOCKING revelations of how a fraudster helped mastermind a £1.7 million council swindle before splashing out on paradise holidays and designer clothes have been met with fury.
The New Journal today (Thursday) reveals the full story of how ex-council official Hieten Patel and accomplice Bruno Hofferer helped themselves to public cash in a massive scam that went unnoticed at the Town Hall for ten years.
Both men were jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday for their role in Camden Council’s biggest ever fraud.
Security in finance offices at the Town Hall is under review and Camden insists it is doing all it can to avoid being caught out by a simi-lar scam. But the case remains a lasting cause of concern.
Tory leader Councillor Piers Wauchope said last night (Wednesday): “These men got away with up to £200,000 a year over a ten year period. Camden’s response has been a complete joke.
GO AHEAD FOR‘GATED GHETTO’
ONE of London’s biggest gated communities got the go-ahead last night (Thursday) following a gruelling near five-hour meeting.
Nearly 100 residents packed the meeting room of National Children’s Homes, in Highbury Park, Highbury.
Islington Council’s four-strong corporate services committee, which voted three to one in favour, insisted that a number of conditions would be subject to the scheme going ahead.
This includes a structural survey of properties near to the construction site; no movement of construction lorries during the times children are going to and leaving school; a review and possible removal of traffic humps to reduce the vibration in nearby homes and the provision of a full-time environmental health officers, available 24 hours a day on site.
U-TURN ON SPENDING 50 PENNIES

CITY Hall is preparing to make a dramatic U-turn and introduce “steep” charges to nearly ten public conveniences across the West End.
Just months after the council insisted it would never bring in fees for public toilets in the heart of the West End council officers have drafted plans for a 50p charge for nine conveniences.
And even Councillor Alan Bradley, Westminster cabinet member for street environment, yesterday (Thursday) admitted the charges were “a bit steep”.
But he insisted that he would rather introduce charges than close toilets down.
It is illegal for local authorities to charge for its public toilet provision.
But Westminster Council managed to introduce charges to three toilets around Parliament Square in January by exploiting a loop hole in the law by farming out management of the toilets to a private company, Carlisle Facilities Services.
 
   
   
 
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