Liberal Democrat councillor renews demand for an Independent Forensic Audit of The Bridge New Deal for Communities Accounts

4.06.59pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 27th Apr 2007

Cllr Wayne Hoban, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Regeneration and Enterprise, has renewed his demand for an urgent independent forensic investigation into the accounts of The Bridge NDC Regeneration project in Tottenham.

Cllr Hoban renewed his call on discovery that a 'flurry' of large council sponsored NDC banners have been erected across Seven Sisters ward in Tottenham, where the bulk of the huge £50 million allocated to this project is supposed to be spent.

Cllr Hoban comments:

"It is incredible that immediately after losing a high court case which found them guilty of illegally dismissing two public members from the NDC Board for asking 'difficult' questions about the way in which NDC finances are managed and spent, the NDC Board and Haringey Council have brazenly erected huge banners across the ward trumpeting their alleged 'success'. An internal Haringey Council audit, presented in September 2006, highlighted considerable management and procedural failures, which confirmed that the multi-million pound NDC spending programme was not being effectively managed.

"The NDC Board and Haringey Council must recognise that the serious questions which have been raised about the NDC accounts must be answered, if only to reassure the public and council members that allegations of financial impropriety are unfounded. Nothing less than an independent forensic financial investigation of The Bridge NDC accounts will do, and it must be done now."