Two former members of The Bridge NDC (New Deal for Communities) Board have been granted permission for a Judicial Review in the Appeals Court against the Board, Haringey Council and the Government Office for London.

The former Board members were Chair and Vice Chair of the Board’s Finance & Performance Scrutiny Panel. Their dismissal led to a signed petition by 600 local residents to the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prescott, asking for an independent investigation and for an independent forensic accountant to investigate The Bridge NDC finances.

Liberal Democrat councillor Wayne Hoban, who has been looking into these allegations since being contacted by local residents concerned about the way in which the £50 million NDC project is being managed, has asked for copies of the audited accounts and auditor’s notes for the 5 year period (2001 / 2005) that the project has been running, but has been informed that they are not available.

Cllr Hoban states,

“It is incredible that this £50 million project should not have Annual Audited Accounts which can be inspected to ensure that the money is being spent appropriately.This shows that the concerns expressed by residents and the local community about the way in which this multi-million pound project has been managed to date are well founded, and requires immediate action. In view of the non-availability of audited accounts for the first five years of the project, nothing less than an independent forensic auditor’s investigation of The Bridge NDC accounts will do.”