‘Untenable’: Green councillors table motion of no confidence in Hackney Mayor over Eurovision party photo

Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville (far right) and Tom Dewey (far left), pictured at a party on 14 May 2022

A motion of no confidence in Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville has been tabled by Green opposition councillors – who say they are “appalled by his conduct”.

The mayor has taken a leave of absence after being suspended by Labour when a photo emerged of him at a Eurovision party with disgraced former councillor Tom Dewey in May 2022 – hours after he was told of Dewey’s arrest.

Glanville had previously said that he had “not seen or spoken to Mr Dewey” since becoming aware of the investigation.

Dewey was given a 12-month suspended sentence last month after admitting five charges of possessing 1,850 indecent images of children, including five in the most serious category.

The motion of no confidence, put forward by Green leader Zoë Garbett and seconded by Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, calls for Philip Glanville to resign after seven years in office, saying “trust and confidence in the mayor has been damaged beyond repair”.

Cllr Garbett said: “With the mayor still in post, the council would continue to be held back by this incident and this would have real and damaging implications for the council’s credibility and effectiveness for residents.”

They also want an independent investigation into “who knew what and when about Mr Dewey’s arrest and what actions they took, both within the Labour party and within the council”.

If accepted, the motion will be debated at full council on Wednesday 27 September.

Green councillors Zoë Garbett (right) and Alastair Binnie-Lubbock. Photograph: Julia Gregory

Cllr Garbett added: “I am appalled by Mr Glanville’s conduct.”

She said “It is unfathomable both that he attended the party with Mr Dewey after learning of the arrest, and that he then claimed he had no contact with Dewey at this time.

“His position is untenable, which is why we – along with many other Hackney residents – are now calling for his resignation. Without that, we can’t even begin to work to restore trust in the council.”

She continued: “Residents feel deeply let down by the mayor’s behaviour, and disturbed by the entire case.

“I have been calling for an independent investigation since the details of the Dewey case became public. There is now an even stronger need for this, and proceeding without it will undermine the credibility of the council.”

She added: “A Labour investigation behind closed doors is not enough for the public to fully understand who knew what and how they acted on the information they had.

“Hackney residents, Mr Dewey’s victims and the wider public deserve to know the full facts.”

At July’s full council meeting Green leader Zoe Garbett raised concerns about the scandal and told councillors she had “a duty to raise concerns of residents” who approached her group.

Cllr Garbett has previously called for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Dewey’s resignation and the subsequent De Beauvoir by-election, in which the Green candidate finished second by just 27 votes.

Mayor Glanville was approached for comment about the possibility of a motion of no confidence.