Former Haringey Council leader loses legal challenge against ombudsman

Joseph Ejiofor’s claim he shouldn’t have been named in critical ombudsman report thrown out by judge, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

A former Haringey Council leader’s legal challenge against an ombudsman has been refused by a High Court judge.

Ex-council leader Joseph Ejiofor had sought a judicial review of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s decision to name him in a report that criticised his decision-making over the council-led Cranwood House housing development in Muswell Hill.

The ombudsman claimed naming Ejiofor was in the public interest when the report was published in January last year. The ex-leader subsequently said he believed the ombudsman’s decision to do so was “legally flawed” and wanted to restore his reputation.

In a decision published online, High Court judge Mr Justice Bourne refused permission for a judicial review after dismissing all five grounds of the legal challenge.

Responding to the decision, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Michael King said: “Public scrutiny and accountability are essential ingredients for 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.”

King added that the ombudsman was “committed to protecting the anonymity of complainants and most council staff” but “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”.

Ejiofor, whose previous application for a judicial review was refused in July, said he was “disappointed” by the judgement and had filed an appeal. He claimed the ombudsman had been “unwilling to show a single other recent case in which they decided to name a councillor” and that he believed the decision to name him was “disproportionate, unfair and unlawful”.

The report published by the ombudsman followed an investigation into a resident’s complaint over the long-running proposals to redevelop Cranwood House. Under the initial plans, the former care home was set to be demolished along with two nearby terraces to make way for new homes. The council spent more than £2million buying one of the properties.

Several years later, in 2020, Ejiofor decided to ditch the scheme in favour of new plans that would avoid demolishing the homes. A neighbouring resident, who had also faced the possible buy-up of his home, complained to the ombudsman that the council’s handling of the matter caused him and his family six years of uncertainty and “considerable stress”.

Following an investigation, the ombudsman said the council leader’s decision to ditch the scheme was “flawed” and taken “without proper scrutiny and analysis of all options and consideration of the consequences”.

The former council leader claimed the decision not to demolish the terrace “was a result of the council listening to residents” who had “opposed the demolition of their homes”.

Ejiofor led the council from 2018 until May 2021, when his Labour colleague Peray Ahmet took over. When the former leader was blocked from standing as a Labour candidate in last year’s local elections, he cited the report as one of the factors behind the party’s decision.

Planning permission for the redevelopment of Cranwood House was granted in June. The approved scheme will provide 41 homes in blocks of between three and six storeys. Controversy surrounding the development and other dealings prompted councillors to agree last March to launch an independent investigation into historical property transactions.

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