Email to Dear Mr Athwal, Ms Hamilton, Councillor Rai, and Ms Sandu

This was sent on 18th March 


Dear Mr Athwal, Ms Hamilton, Councillor Rai, and Ms Sandu,

 

For some time, the “Investigate Jas Athwal” community group has called for a formal inquiry into why Mr Athwal has not been fined regarding his unlicensed and substandard rental properties as outlined in the 2024 BBC Joe Pike Story. 

Previous requests for such an investigation have been dismissed on the grounds that Mr Athwal was acting in a personal capacity. However, I contend that Mr Athwal’s senior position as a Councillor and former Council Leader requires the highest level of scrutiny to maintain public confidence and ensure there has been no abuse of office.

The precedent for this level of scrutiny was established on 21st September 2022, during a Redbridge planning committee meeting regarding a minor application for Mr Athwal's private residence. Despite the application’s minor nature, it was brought before the committee specifically to ensure transparency and demonstrate that Mr Athwal was not abusing his position. A ten-page report was produced, and the application was subjected to rigorous examination—a process I personally witnessed as commendable at the time.

I believe the same standard of "utmost scrutiny" must apply to Mr Athwal’s conduct as a landlord in Redbridge. It is inconsistent to subject his personal home renovations to public committee oversight while exempting his professional conduct as a landlord from similar accountability.

Unless I receive a satisfactory response by the close of business on 8th April 2026 as to why Jas Athwal has not been fined, I will formally request that the police investigate why no fine was issued, with a view to determining if misconduct in public office has occurred.

I am currently canvassing support to attend Ilford Police Station on 18th April to hand in this formal request. Please note that any lack of response to this email will be specifically highlighted to the police.

The initial draft of my letter to the police is included below along with the Council agenda for the meeting of 21st September 2022. This draft remains subject to revision based on any response I receive from you.

Regards,


 

Andy Walker – Draft letter to police follows

: 

Subject: Formal Request for Investigation into Misconduct in Public Office – Jas Athwal MP and Redbridge Council Officers

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are writing on behalf of the Investigate Jas Athwal community group to formally request an investigation into Jas Athwal MP and senior officers at Redbridge Council regarding potential misconduct in public office.

This request follows multiple unanswered or unsatisfactory enquiries directed to Jas Athwal MP and Redbridge Council regarding the failure to issue penalties for Mr Athwal’s unlicensed rental properties and substandard flats. 

Our concerns are based on the following grounds:

Failure to Enforce Licensing Regulations: Mr Athwal has publicly admitted that sub-standard properties he owns were rented out without the required selective licences. Redbridge Council’s own internal guidance and the judicial precedent set in Redbridge v Ekweozoh suggest that, given these admissions, enforcement action should have been taken by now.

Suspicion of Conspiracy/Collusion: The prolonged failure to fine Mr Athwal, despite clear evidence of breaches, leads to a reasonable suspicion that senior Redbridge Council officers may be colluding with Mr Athwal to prevent, hinder, or obstruct necessary regulatory action.

Misconduct in Public Office Thresholds: Should it be found that public officers willfully neglected their duty to enforce council policy—or willfully misconducted themselves to protect a former leader (Mr Athwal)—the legal thresholds for Misconduct in Public Office appear to have been met.

Threshold: A public officer acting as such willfully neglects to perform their duty and/or willfully misconducts themselves to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder without reasonable excuse or justification.

Urgency of the Matter
Potential evidence regarding this matter is currently the subject of a Freedom of Information request pending a decision notice at the Information Commissioner’s Office. However, waiting for this process is insufficient. Due to the ongoing nature of the potential breaches and the risk of further, ongoing criminality, we urge the police to act immediately. 

Proposed First Step
We request that the police, as a preliminary stage, formally correspond with Redbridge Council to demand the reasons for the delay in fining Mr Athwal. A decision on a full criminal investigation should follow based on the legitimacy of their reply.


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