Exclusive: Sadiq Khan accused of presiding over a "culture of cronyism" at City Hall as LBC reveals his £75,000-a-year Night Czar Amy Lame was paid another £1,000 for her part hosting a drag act to mark his 2019 Borough of Culture celebrations.
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Lame has now agreed to make a donation to an LGBTQ charity of £1,000, less the tax she paid, after hosting the event at Walthamstow Assembly Hall in September last year.
Tickets cost £15. But organisers also received a £70k grant from Waltham Forest Borough Council.
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Tickets cost £15. But organisers also received a £70k grant from Waltham Forest Borough Council.
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That £70,000 came, in large part, from a £1.3 million grant
the mayor handed the Labour-run council after naming it his 2019 Borough of Culture.
Lame was paid the money as a freelancer. But she never declared she'd been handed the cash in her City Hall register of interests.
the mayor handed the Labour-run council after naming it his 2019 Borough of Culture.
Lame was paid the money as a freelancer. But she never declared she'd been handed the cash in her City Hall register of interests.
In effect, there was a situation in City Hall where an appointee of the mayor received additional cash indirectly out of the mayor's culture budget.
This, when knife crime is at a record high, and the mayor complains about a lack of Government funding for the police.
This, when knife crime is at a record high, and the mayor complains about a lack of Government funding for the police.
Greg Hands, chair of Shaun Bailey's mayoral campaign, tells @NickFerrariLBC: "It's part of a series of cronyism in City Hall where Sadiq Khan is giving contracts, in this case, via the London Borough of Waltham Forest, to people who are connected with him."
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@NickFerrariLBC Mr Hands adds: "Amy Lame is appointed by Sadiq Khan as his Night Czar.
"She is also declares she is a member of the Labour Party. The way this operates leaves serious questions to be answered. It was an undeclared connection."
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"She is also declares she is a member of the Labour Party. The way this operates leaves serious questions to be answered. It was an undeclared connection."
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@NickFerrariLBC Hands: "Sadiq Khan needs to come out and say that he wants to end this culture of cronyism at City Hall.
"There was a case last week of Ecotricty, the electricity company run by leading Labour donor Dale Vince."
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"There was a case last week of Ecotricty, the electricity company run by leading Labour donor Dale Vince."
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@NickFerrariLBC Hands: "Sadiq Khan gave £400k of contracts to Ecotricity, which curiously gave £515k in donations to Sadiq Khan and the Labour party.
"It is part of a series of what I would call cronyism: Khan's cronies."
"It is part of a series of what I would call cronyism: Khan's cronies."
@NickFerrariLBC A GLA spokesman has sent LBC a statement.
No apology. Lame paid as a freelance. Register of interests now updated.
No apology. Lame paid as a freelance. Register of interests now updated.
