Cabinet Member for Housing resigns

17 February 2021

Cllr Leo Pollak has resigned from his post as Cabinet Member for Housing.

Cllr Pollak offered residents a full and unqualified apology after it emerged that he had not been transparent about a Twitter account that he managed, which commented on housing-related issues.

In his resignation letter he 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.”

Cllr Pollak will continue to represent residents in South Bermondsey ward as a back bench councillor.

Council Leader, Cllr Kieron Williams, said: “Whilst 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.”

No decision has yet been taken about who will take on the role of Cabinet Member for Housing, and in the interim the Leader will oversee the council’s housing work.

The monitoring officer will carry out a full investigation before reporting her findings publicly.

Page last updated: 17 February 2021