In December I reported on the scandal of the Labour Party have been holding meetings at Hammersmith Town Hall without paying the required booking fees.

Gradually more details are emerging which demonstrates the industrial scale of this abuse. It was not just a mistake involving one or two meetings.

On December 12th I made the following Freedom of Information request:

“Please provide copies of all emails from Mary O‘Hara over the past 12 months regarding room bookings for Labour Party meetings in the town hall.

Best wishes,
Harry”

I have not had a full response but the partial response so far gives an idea of the scale of what has been happening.

The schedule of room bookings suggests the amount owed to the Council Taxpayer by the Labour Party over the past year alone is substantial.

The Hammersmith Constituency Labour Party held monthly meetings in the Council Chamber – the booking fee is £160 an hour. They had a booking of four hours a time so £640. So that is £7,680 owed for the year.

But that is only the start. The Avonmore and Brook Green, Fulham Reach, Hammersmith Broadway and North End Labour Party branch meeting would hold another monthly meeting. That took place in Committee Room 1 – where the book fee due is £55.00 an hour. Again each booking was four hours £220 a time coming to £2,640 a year.

Then there was also a monthly meeting for the College Park and Old Oak, Shepherds Bush Green and Wormholt and White City Labour Party branch in the Courtyard Room. Again the fee due was £55 an hour. Again it was four hours a time coming to £220 or £2,640 a year.

The Ravenscourt Park Labour Party had a rather uncomradely arrangement of having their meeting in their own room. Their monthly gatherings were held in the Small Hall. That can seat 120 – I rather doubt all the seats were needed. Anyway the booking fee is £110 an hour so £440 a time coming to £5,280 a year.

There also appears to have been an extra Fulham Reach Labour Party meeting for four hours in Committee Room 4 on 12/6/14 – that’s £40 an hour so another £160.

All that comes to £18,400.

That is just for a year.

How many years has the abuse been going on?

When will the Labour Party pay what they owe to the Council Taxpayer?