Croydon “hugely disappointed” at lack of further action from professional bodies after referrals, says Mayor

In 2023 a cross-party committee at Croydon voted unanimously to take steps to hold former officers and elected members to account for financial mismanagement and governance failures that led to the council accumulating £1.6bn in debt.

As part of this, Croydon referred a series of independent reports on financial mismanagement to the police and reported individuals to the professional bodies of which they were members.

However, the Metropolitan Police said in December 2024 that it would take no action over the historic financial mismanagement.

The council said it has now received responses to the professional body referrals it made, with one case of misconduct upheld against the authority's former Director of Finance, Investment and Risk and Section 151 Officer, Lisa Taylor.

In a November 2025 decision, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants issued a “severe reprimand” against Taylor in relation to her conduct as a director of a wholly owned subsidiary of a local authority.

Referrals to professional bodies regarding two other former members of staff are still under investigation, Croydon said.

The council said its Appointments and Disciplinary Committee had expressed disappointment that other professional bodies had either decided not to take action or lacked the powers to do so.

The committee has now renewed its commitment to lobby the government on this issue on behalf of Croydon’s residents.

“It maintains that the current powers to prosecute people in public office for serious failures and breaches of statutory duty is inadequate. It is calling for a change in the law so that individuals can be held to account for failings,” Croydon said.

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “Whilst I welcome the outcome from three professional bodies who are taking these allegations seriously, we are hugely disappointed that further action is not being taken, despite the catalogue of failures by many individuals.

“I have previously written to the government calling for a change in the law so we can hold people to account for their conduct in public office. I will continue to campaign for change in this area on behalf of Croydon’s residents.”

Adam Carey