A South London mayor has faced questions over why it took him two months to donate his allowance to a food bank for a period he spent campaigning 120 miles away in Bristol.
In June, mayor of Lewisham Damien Egan(pic.) promised to give his allowance to Lewisham Food Bank during the time he would spend campaigning to become Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Bristol North East.
But Mr Egan revealed he was still yet to hand over the money he received for his mayoral duties to the charity, at a Lewisham Council meeting last week (September 27). This is despite Mr Egan’s campaign ending with his successful selection as Labour’s candidate in Bristol two months earlier at the end of July. Mr Egan has confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS] that the donation has now been made.
Quizzed on when he would publish proof he had paid his allowance to the food bank at the meeting last week, Mr Egan admitted he had yet to make the payment. He said: “I said at the beginning… the allowance that I received is what I’m donating to Lewisham Food Bank. [...] My intention is to transfer the money I received.”
Mr Egan added that he thought the pledge was “something positive” and accused the questioner Mark Morris, of “trying to turn that into something disingenuous and something quite different”.
Lewisham Liberal Democrats, who currently have no councillors elected in the borough, said: “While the donation made by Damien Egan is welcome it says a great deal that the payment was only finally made after questions were asked.” Lewisham Labour Party told the LDRS that Mr Egan received bank details for Lewisham Food Bank on September 7 and transferred the money as soon as he could afterwards.
