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COUNCIL TO FOOT £4M BILL FOR DE MENEZES INQUEST

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31 October 2008

By David Yuill
dyuill@southwarknews.org

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL has hit out at the government, after being left to pick up the £4 million bill for the Jean Charles de Menezes inquest.

The well-publicised investigation into the death of the Brazilian is into its seventh week at Kennington's Brit Oval and is set to continue until mid-December. The inquest has cost the council over £981,000 to date, with the final bill set to spiral over the next two months.

Two armed police marksmen shot dead the 27-year-old electrician on a packed tube at Stockwell station back in July 2005, mistaking the Tulse Hill man for failed bomber Hussain Osman.

Southwark has taken responsibility for the inquest, despite the shooting taking place in neighbouring Lambeth. Southwark co-ordinates all coroner activity across Lambeth, Greenwich and Lewisham and then splits the cost with its neighbours.

A council spokesman told the 'News' that the cost, estimated to escalate beyond £4 million, will come out of the major projects budget. "There is no specific allocation in the council's budget for inquests of this size, complexity and importance," he said. "Funding will come from the council's reserves, that will need to be replenished as they support major council projects and activities."

Cllr Tim McNally, executive member for Resources, added: "The De Menezes inquest is dealing with some extremely important and sensitive issues, and we are very keen not to do anything that would detract from the work of the coroner.

"However, we do not think that the Southwark tax payer should pick up the bill for what is an exceptional inquest by any definition. I want to reassure readers that we are working with the Ministry of Justice and the other authorities affected, to come to an agreement over the funding of the inquest, and local MPs Simon Hughes and Tessa Jowell have been assisting."

A spokeswoman from the Ministry of Justice told the 'News': "The four London boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich will be funding the inquest between them. They are responsible for funding the coroner's district in which this inquest must be held." The spokeswoman went on to confirm: "The consortium (of councils) is currently in discussion with central government about their concerns."

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