Lambeth councillors line up for Lally action

COUNCILLORS at Lambeth are poised to hear the disciplinary case against suspended head of legal services Paul Lally.

Three council members have been selected to sit on the all-party panel and although a date has not yet been set, the council says that the hearing is "imminent".

Lally was suspended earlier this year following an investigation, but the authority has refused to discuss the reasons behind its action.

Last week, a spokeswoman said: "We do not have a date but it is imminent - within the next few weeks."

The panel consists of councillors Bernard Gentry for the Conservatives, Peter O'Connell for Labour and Keith Fitchett for the Liberal Democrats.

Lally, who could not be contacted for comment, is a member of the local government union Unison, but has not approached officials for representation.

The department is being run by acting head Aiden Brookes pending the outcome of the hearing.

In July, Lambeth's legal services department was criticised in the Appleby report on fraud and mismanagement.

However, those criticisms relate to a period before Lally's appointment.