Southwark housing chief resigns after Twitter account exposed
The cabinet member for housing at Southwark Council has resigned from his position after it emerged that he had not been transparent about a Twitter account he manages.
Leo Pollak has apologised to residents for the account, which the local authority said commented on housing-related issues.
According to the South London Press, the local paper that first uncovered the now deleted account, the tweets promoted council projects in the borough and criticised some residents’ campaigns.
A full investigation into the matter will be carried out by the council’s monitoring officer who will report her findings publicly.
READ MORE
In his resignation letter, Mr Pollak said: “It goes without saying that this represents a serious error of judgement that doesn’t meet the standards of openness and accountability that you would expect of a public representative, and I am writing to offer you all a full and unqualified apology.
“I have referred myself to the council’s monitoring officer and will accept any recommendations made.”
Mr Pollak will continue to represent residents in the South Bermondsey ward as a backbench councillor.
No decision has been made yet as to who will take on the role of cabinet member for housing at Southwark Council. In the interim, council leader Kieron Williams will oversee its housing work.
Mr Williams said: “While it is right that Cllr Pollak has resigned following a serious error of judgement, we will miss his huge passion for improving the lives of everyone who lives in council housing.
“From driving forward our plan to build 11,000 new council homes, to championing local estates through our Great Estates programme, to campaigning tirelessly on issues like Right to Buy and land reform, Leo has worked relentlessly to improve the lives of our residents.
“However, in order to gain and retain our residents’ trust, it is essential that all politicians carry out their work in a completely transparent way.
“In this case, unfortunately Cllr Pollak’s behaviour risked compromising that trust, and that is why I have accepted his resignation as cabinet member for housing.”
Inside Housing has contacted Mr Pollak.
Sign up for our Council Focus newsletter
Already have an account? Click here to manage your newsletters
