Serious concerns have been raised about the election of Wandsworth Council's new leader, who was expelled from the local Conservative group in 2013 over an expenses scandal and was found to have bullied a seriously ill woman earlier this year. Sources close to the party have expressed shock over Conservative councillor Robert Morritt now holding the top political position on the authority, formally taking up the role on July 22, with the resulting division within the group coming at a time when the Tories' control of the authority is already balancing on a knife edge.
Expenses Scandal and Expulsion
Councillor Morritt was expelled from the Wandsworth Conservative Group in 2013, after he was found to have withdrawn cash for expenses without adequate supporting documents, used a taxi account for private journeys, taken unreconciled salary top-ups and failed to bank cash receipts during his time as the group's paid election agent from 2006 to 2010.
An investigation by Sir Ray Puddifoot found 32 cheques with no, inadequate or questionable explanations were made out totalling more than £33,000 while Councillor Morritt was agent, with most of the cheques paid to him and others with no detail at all.
A further report by the council's leader at the time, Ravi Govindia, repeated some of the findings saying this included six payments to Councillor Morritt totalling £5,089 where no detail was recorded and 17 cheques to the value of £15,203 drawn with "less than complete" detail. It said that while Councillor Morritt was not the signatory on the accounts, he had established that generally the cheques were written out by a junior member of staff on his instructions.
The report by Sir Ray said Councillor Morritt, who could not drive, had also privately used an Addison Lee taxi account, the existence of which had not been formally reported to the group's management committee. A total of £25,246 was alleged to have been spent on taxis ordered by members on the account from 2008 to 2010.
Sir Ray's investigation also found Councillor Morritt appeared to have been paid excess top-ups on his salary of £4,756 in 2008 and £3,496 in 2009. It found occasions when cash from fundraising events was not banked in line with good financial practice but held in the group's office safe. A fundraising dinner raised £5,045 in 2009, with no record of this cash being banked or how it was used.
According to the investigation, Councillor Morritt produced a shoebox and bags of receipts dated January 2007 to May 2010 totalling roughly £36,000 in 2012, stating money was reimbursed to him above his salary to cover these expenses. There were a significant number of receipts for travel, often with no destination or comment on passengers, more than £10,000 for restaurants or pubs, where attendees or functions often were not identified, and receipts for non-business items - including two receipts totalling £630 for a dentist, multiple receipts for groceries and receipts for bicycles and shoes.
Councillor Morritt was expelled from the group after his membership was found to have damaged the interests of the local party and beyond. He sat as an independent and did not stand for reselection in the local elections in 2014.
Route Back to Office
The LDRS understands he then volunteered for the party locally, eventually becoming chairman of the Putney Conservative Association in 2022. At this time, the association was part of a group with the Battersea, Tooting and Wimbledon Conservative Associations. Sources told the LDRS that Councillor Morritt eventually held a vote to split the Putney Conservative Association from the others, allowing it to have its own office and separate candidate selection process.
He then secured a council seat in Thamesfield on May 7 this year, with 152 more votes than the runner-up. The night saw the Conservatives win control of the council from Labour by just one seat overall, with the group's current minority rule depending on the support of Independent councillor Malcolm Grimston. Councillor Morritt was elected leader of the council on a nail-biting vote of 15 to 14 less than three months later, after Tory councillor Aled Richards-Jones announced he was stepping down from the position due to work commitments. Two cabinet members quit in protest at Councillor Morritt's election.
Bullying Finding and Party Concerns
Councillor Morritt was elected despite the Conservative Party's headquarters finding in February this year he had bullied a former councillor standing for reselection this year while she was seriously unwell. The candidate was given the same leafleting targets by the local association as others despite her illness with no reasonable adjustments made, and an irregular selection process was run with her subsequently not being successful. An independent panel found this amounted to bullying, with Councillor Morritt found to have borne some responsibility for the bullying she experienced. He was issued with a sanction of rebuke and requirement to complete training.
Sources close to the party told the LDRS there is serious concern Councillor Morritt is not fit for public office, given his conduct, and they are appalled he has managed to become leader. One source questioned how he had been elected when "Wandsworth Tories have built their reputation on the principles of sound financial management and looking after taxpayer money like it's their own". They added: "It's an even stranger decision when you think the council is already in deep financial trouble and has some very difficult decisions to make in the coming months."
Another source told the LDRS it was "unbelievable that Morritt with all his baggage has managed to become leader of Wandsworth Council". They said: "There are lots of unanswered questions about Morritt and his conduct. He just brushes them aside which is very worrying now he leads local Conservatives and the council."
The instability comes at a make-or-break time for the administration, as a by-election for former Labour councillor Lizzy Dobres' seat in Trinity will be held later this month. If the Conservatives win the seat they will hold a majority without the need to be propped up by Councillor Grimston.
In response to concerns about the previous investigations, Councillor Morritt told the LDRS: "My job focused on winning elections and a management board oversaw the accounts. Each payment or contract entered into required two authorised signatories from board members. I have never been a signature on any of the accounts. I left in summer 2010 to take up another role. The matter was investigated by the Met Police well over a decade ago, and they concluded there was no case to answer. I remained a Conservative member throughout."
Councillor candidate selection was conducted jointly with our neighbouring constituency. As such my vote was one amongst a large panel. Decisions cannot be taken by any individual and must be ratified by the membership. The allegations around selection were addressed and resolved internally by the party. Putney Conservatives elected me as chair in June 2022 and at every AGM since. When the Conservatives lost control of the council after 44 years, we needed to change how we did things, the membership repeatedly voted to back that. As leader of Wandsworth Council, my focus is firmly on the future: people elected Conservatives and we are getting to work repairing the damage left by the previous Labour administration.
