Cllr. Khevyn Limbajee’s register of interests form: another case of Waltham Forest-itis?

Over the years this blog has periodically revealed that LBWF councillors have surprising difficulty keeping their register of interests forms as accurate and up-to-date as the agreed standards require, a very obvious example of Waltham Forest-itis.

Now another possible case of this unfortunate malady may be on the cards.

Cllr. Khevyn Limbajee is the Cabinet portfolio holder for housing, who, with his estate agent chic and penchant for social media, syncs so perfectly with the ongoing middle-class takeover of the Labour Party.

As of today, Cllr. Limbajee’s register of interests form, posted on the LBWF website, includes this about his current job:

No room for doubt there, then: Cllr. Limbajee works for the Labour Party, and no-one else.

However, if the current edition of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) quarterly register is consulted, the entry for Cavendish Communications reads as follows:

Moreover, a little more searching shows that a ‘Khevyn Limbajee’ has been on Cavendish Communications’ books for sometime.

A number of possibilities suggest themselves. Perhaps this is a different ‘Khevyn Limbajee (Councillor)’. Perhaps it is our Councillor Limbajee but he is kindly assisting Cavendish Communications for free. Perhaps it is just a Freudian slip. Who knows?

But it will be interesting to see what LBWF Director of Governance and Law Mark Hynes (a winner in our 2017 awards) makes of the matter.

Because if – and the ‘if’ must be stressed – it is our Councillor Limbajee who is working for Cavendish Communications, he is receiving payment, and he has neglected to make a declaration, Freudian slip or not, that would be a serious breach of the rules, and particularly so given the current controversies about housing and redevelopment that are occurring across the borough.