Enfield's former mayor Mohammed Islam apologises after visa letters controversy

Highlights

• Ex-mayor finally apologises after writing visa support letters for family and friends.
• Conduct committee had expressed frustration over delayed compliance in November.
• Islam plans to raise concerns about process with Local Government Ombudsman.

In his letter to the council on November (21), Islam said, "I would like to offer my sincere apology to the council for the conduct in relation to the invitation letters to attend council programmes".

"I recognise that the actions did not meet the standards expected of an elected member and may have affected confidence in the council."

Background overview

The apology came after the conduct committee expressed frustration at a meeting on November (17) over Islam's failure to comply with their August ruling. Committee chair Bektas Ozer told LDRS, he was "baffled" that the former mayor had not apologised, while director of law and governance Terry Osborne described the situation as "very disappointing".

Osborne had told the committee that Islam had emailed her but "not in the way requested by the committee", noting he had not apologised or agreed to undergo training despite reasonable requests.

Mayors are prohibited from using their position to lobby immigration authorities for private individuals as this undermines public trust in their ability to act impartially. Islam now serves as an independent councillor after being suspended by the Labour Party.

Despite accepting the committee's findings, Islam indicated he had concerns about aspects of the process.

A legal adviser told BBC London, they were preparing to refer the case to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman "to ensure an independent, fair, and transparent review of the council's handling of this matter".

An Enfield Council spokesperson confirmed Islam had written to the monitoring officer with an apology and accepted the committee's findings.