A Camden council officer will be disciplined after accidentally copying a resident in on an unflattering email.  

The apologised and claimed the email was intended to be positive.

But an investigator has “fully upheld” a complaint filed by Mandy Ryan after she was mistakenly sent the message. 

“We will be taking disciplinary action,” wrote investigator Graeme Beedham, head of tenant and leaseholder engagement, who found there was “no excuse” for the comment by Robert Quaye, the council’s “senior tenant participation officer”.  

Asked by a colleague how to contact elected representatives for the Dorney block on the Chalcots estate, he had replied that Mrs Ryan was the secretary of the tenant representatives association. 

But he added a warning that Mrs Ryan was “not an easy person” – then accidentally copied her in. 

He tried to recall the message, but it was too late. 

Mrs Ryan told the Ham&High she could not understand the comment as she had not had any dealings with Mr Quaye. 

Mr Quaye was ordered to write to Mrs Ryan after her complaint was upheld. 

“I write to say sorry and offer my sincere apologies for the distress that my comment brought to you and your family,” he wrote. 

“To offer some understanding and background to my comment, I have found you to be a strong and focused woman who is not easily duped with unwarranted information, and it is with this in mind that I made the comment that you are not a lady who can be easily beguiled. 

“At no time was my comment meant as a derogatory remark or meant to cause you distress, rather to show that you are a formidable woman with whom care should be taken and not to be waylaid with incorrect information. 

“I have at no time had any reason to see you in any unprofessional or derogatory way and no such thought was or had been in mind.” 

Mrs Ryan said she felt the message was “condescending” and “not believable”, reiterating that she did not know Mr Quaye.  

“If he had wanted to share the compliments about me, he should have sent them,” she said. 

Asked how Mr Quaye would be disciplined, Camden Council said it was “not appropriate for us to go into further detail... in public”.  

The authority has once again apologised to Mrs Ryan.  

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