Ex-Haringey leader Joseph Ejiofor loses ombudsman court case

Ex-Labour leader Joseph Ejiofor had asked the court to rule that the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) should not have named him last year in an unflattering report. 

Mr Justice Charles Bourne rejected Mr Ejiofor’s case on all grounds – a ruling hailed by the LGO as a victory for the public’s right to know. 

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But Mr Ejiofor has reiterated his belief that the LGO acted improperly and said he had already initiated a further appeal. 

“The ombudsman has been unwilling to show a single other recent case in which they decided to name a councillor and I believe their decision to name me was disproportionate, unfair and unlawful,” he maintained. 

Haringey Council is demolishing the former Cranwood Care Home in Muswell Hill, to make way for a new housing development (Image: Google Streetview)

Cranwood 

The LGO report, published in January 2022, found Mr Ejiofor took a “flawed” decision over a controversial Muswell Hill development. 

In 2014, residents of Woodside Avenue were informed that Haringey was considering demolishing their houses and the nearby Cranwood Care Home, to facilitate a new estate. 

In 2020, one homeowner filed a formal complaint with the LGO. 

He said that after his family had endured years of stress and uncertainty, he had been close to finally agreeing a sale price with the council when Mr Ejiofor announced a u-turn over the demolition. 

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• Haringey u-turns on demolishing Muswell Hill homes - after spending £2.15m on ex-council house

The complainant later found out the council had already paid £2.15m for another house in Woodside Avenue (valued at £850,000). 

The complainant said the council did not progress negotiations with him at the same speed, nor offer him anywhere near £2.15m. 

The Cranwood development is the subject of an ongoing Metropolitan Police fraud investigation, although the nature of the suspected fraud is unknown. 

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This row of houses in Woodside Avenue, Muswell Hill, was originally intended to be demolished alongside the Cranwood Care Home, until former council leader Joseph Ejiofor announced a u-turn (Image: Google Streetview)

Dispute 

The LGO found a “lack of even-handedness" in the two homeowners’ treatment. 

It also found Mr Ejiofor’s decision to abandon the demolition had been a “unilateral” one, taken “without proper scrutiny” and with a “lack of adequate analysis and consideration”. 

The watchdog said it meant Haringey had spent £2.15m on an £850,000 house “for nothing”. 

Mr Ejiofor insists there were strong grounds for the u-turn, including the discovery of sewage infrastructure which made the original plan unviable. 

However, he said he had received legal advice that he could not challenge the LGO’s findings about his decision-making – only its decision to name him. 

He claimed the LGO report damaged his reputation, directly causing his removal as a Labour candidate in the May 2022 Haringey elections. 

Court rulings 

Mr Ejiofor asked the High Court last year to find the LGO’s decision to name him “unlawful” and “irrational”. 

His case was thrown out in July by Mrs Justice Heather Williams, but he sought a second opinion. 

Last month, Mr Justice Bourne agreed that the LGO had properly considered naming Mr Ejiofor, keeping detailed notes of its decision-making. 

The LGO does not ordinarily name councillors found to be at fault unless it is deemed to be in the public interest. 

In one October 2021 note, an LGO worker wrote: “Given the role played by the former leader, the impossibility of anonymising his position, the seniority of his role and the public interest in providing transparency and accountability around these events, I do consider it necessary to name him.” 

The judge wrote that the reasons contained in that note alone were “entirely sufficient”. 

Reaction 

The LGO said: “Public scrutiny and accountability are essential ingredients for a healthy and vibrant local democracy, which is why we are committed to open and transparent decision-making. 

“We therefore welcome this judgment and the court’s unequivocal backing for our approach.” 

It added: “Whilst we are committed to protecting the anonymity of complainants and most council staff, we will not hesitate to identify senior leaders or third-party contractors who work on behalf of the council where we think it is necessary and in the public interest to do so.” 

Mr Ejiofor said: “I am disappointed with this judgment and have filed an appeal, which I hope will be considered expeditiously.”