Barnet's accounts have not been passed by auditors BDO and Grant Thornton for six years. Fraud continues but instead of stopping it by calling for a Judicial Review or Crown Court Judgement, the auditors keep silent, colluding with the fraud, earning tens, if not hundreds of thousands in fees.
THE NEW ACT OF PARLIAMENT
1st September 2025 - the "failure to prevent fraud" offence under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 comes into effect. Councils are criminally liable if an "associated person" commits a fraud benefiting a council that fails to prevent fraud.The Act is not retrospective so applies only to the fraud Barnet commits after the 1st September 2025, each monthly charge being a separate fraud. This augments the bulk of the fraud, which comes under the Fraud Act 2006.
BARNET COUNCIL FRAUD
Ex Barnet CEO John Hooton began the fraud in December 2018, continuing under CEO Cath Shaw, aided and abetted by the executive, Barnet Councillors, Barnet's two auditors and every relevant government agency, all doing nothing or stonewalling, failing to prosecute or call for a Judicial Review.THE FLAWED CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
Giving evidence to a Parliamentary committee in 2021, Dominic Cummings stated the civil service “will not prosecute itself.” So will the CPS now prosecute Barnet without referral from the MET, because Cressida Dick repeated Barnet's false representations that have no basis in law and Sir Robert Mark did not reply. Whatever you think of Dominic Cummins, as far as my experience is concerned he is absolutely right and I am doing my best to make Barnet Fraud the very first case to come before the new law.WHAT IS FRAUD?
According to the Fraud Act 2006, which also applies to councils, fraud is any of three offences: Gaining by issuing false representations, withholding information and abuse of power. Barnet has been committing all three offences since November 2018.THE LAW
Bubonic plague still exists in the USA, spread by rodents. To keep the UK safe and prevent fly-tipping, charging for regular household waste collection is outlawed by the Environmental Protection Act 1990.THE FRAUD
In November 2018 Barnet Councillors under CEO John Hooton voted to take waste collection in-house and began charging flats that historically required more than one weekly collection. In so doing the councillors gained by 'Transference Fraud,' reducing their own council tax by transferring a portion to others, a fact all are well aware of and all ignore.A council can charge for being called to collect an item like a fridge that will not fit in a bin but cannot charge for regular household waste, frequency of collection is not in the Act.
John Hooton’s office reply to MP Mike Freer included many false representations, but also Barnet’s own solicitor’s statement that charging is illegal, “this would be in conflict not to charge for household waste collection under the Environmental Protection Act.”
As such, Barnet fraudulently abuses its office as a waste collection Authority and Barnet’s fraudulent false representations include those to MP Mike Freer and the Metropolitan Police. Thirdly Barnet fraudulently withholds the total amounts illegally charged for waste collection as well as the addresses of blocks concerned.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1990
States: No charge shall be made for the collection of household waste (except in cases prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of State, see next.WHAT COUNCILS CAN CHARGE TO COLLECT
Garden, hazardous, hospital, care home, charity shop, builders, sewage, industrial, commercial waste and collection from a remote dwelling.THE BLOCKS OF FLATS IN QUESTION
These large blocks have industrial bins and always required more than one collection due to lack of storage space, but are lightning fast to collect from compared to terraced streets and mansions.THE AMOUNT DEFRAUDED
If your Barnet flat has more than one waste collection a week you are being defrauded, probably by around £1300 in total to date. The block in the video has been defrauded by about £240,500 and rising.ASK CHAT GPT
Can a UK town council charge for regular household waste collection and what constitutes fraud in the UK? AI gets it right in seconds and needs to be adopted by the CPS and Met, to economically and efficiently prosecute guilty public servants and put the system right that gave us Mr Bates versus the Post Office.
THE PENALTY
Apart from stopping the fraud, charging those responsible and making restitution, the new law needs to set an example by prosecuting Barnet Council. Under the Local Government Act 1972, a councillor receiving a custodial sentence for fraud (immediate or suspended) of 3 months or more, is automatically disqualified from holding office for 5 years.£20 MILLION PENSION FUND S114 SCANDAL
In 2020 Capita administered Barnet Pension Fund with fees running into hundreds of thousands. It appears actuary Stephen Reddington, of Hyams Robertson, advised a million pounds could be saved in discounts if three years of pension payments, plus fees were made in advance.Barnet CEO John Hooton had been Deputy Finance Officer 210-15. In paying in £20 million without the approval of the Pension Fund Committee and contrary to the Rates and Adjustment Certificate, John Hooton breached the Council’s Scheme of Delegation.
Why did he do this? Why not get approval from the pension committee? These days everything can be done on line, so why risk his career? This payment like all payments almost certainly had large fees attached and despite the £200 million prepayment plus fees, regular payments continued along with fees, overfunding Barnet pensions, leaving Barnet Council funds £20 million short.
By October 2021 only £14 million had been repaid, so Barnet might have been bankrupt had it not been for the illegal waste collection charges. However when Kevin Bartle returned as CFO he did due diligence and on Monitoring Officer, solicitor Jessica Farmer’s advice issued a Section 114. John Hooton quietly resigned in June 2024 from a £185,000 post, with no trace of re-employment.
On 20th February 2025, Barnet received £55 million government funding but to date a £6 million pension overpayment is still outstanding, the waste fraud continues and what about refunding thousands of pounds of fees for improper/illegal payments?
BDO's Leigh Lloyd-Thomas passed Barnet’s 2019 - 20 accounts fully cognisant that Barnet was contravening the Environment Protection Act 1990.
Leigh Lloyd-Thomas was swiftly replaced by Head of East Anglia Lisa Blake, who despite not passing Barnet’s accounts for four years, failed to order a Judicial Review in accordance with the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. BDO are well aware of my accusation of fraud but year after year do nothing to stop it. Recently BDO's Ciaran McLaughlin informed me BDO have relinquished all their council accounts. Paul Dossett of Grant Thorton has taken over Barnet but made no attempt to stop the fraud.
JURISPRUDENCE
The Localism Act 3 and 4 as well as Cross on Local Government Law 8-103: Local authorities cannot charge for a service they must provide by law and ultra vires contracts are null and void.
BARNET’S FALSE REPRESENTATIONS
The following is the most flagrant, worthy of the Riddler, sent from John Hooton's office in reply to MP Mike Freer and written by somebody with legal knowledge. Jessica Farmer is Barnet’s solicitor. It is a correct statement but a false representation to claim it is a reason Barnet can charge for collecting regular domestic waste.
The Riddler's bluff: The Environmental Protection Act places an obligation on Waste Collection Authorities to arrange for the collection of household waste in its area. No charge can be made for this except in prescribed cases under related Regulations. The household waste that is in question here does not fall within any such categories (as I understand).
Absolutely true - the household waste here does NOT fall within the prescribed EXCEPTIONS under related Regulations, (made by the Secretary of State) which are HOSPITAL, TOXIC, BUILDERS AND GARDEN WASTE. Regular waste CANNOT be charged for. NOTE - the Riddler adds (as I understand) so they can appear confused if it comes to court. A perfect example of a false representation, a play with words designed to defraud and I would like whoever wrote this to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
PUBLIC SECTOR COLLUSION
I wrote to the heads of the Met, IOPC, CRU, SFO, DPP as well as the Justice Committee and found them all deaf, dumb and blind, protecting, ignoring, passing the buck, doing nothing to stop the fraud.
No reply from: PM Boris Johnson - twice. Home Secretary Priti Patel - twice. PM Liz Truss’s office. Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
Ex-councillor, MP Mike Freer finally wrote and received false representations from CEO John Hooton’s office but didn't want to get involved. Director Lisa Osofsky, Serious Fraud Office - standard reply. Max Hill QC at the DPP - office replies they only take advice from the police, who took no legal advice.
Mark Rowley Met Commissioner - no reply twice. Commissioner Cressida Dick simply colluded with Barnet's pathetic false representation that because a managing agent called them to collect what Barnet failed to collect, Barnet can charge! I felt sorry for poor DCI Anthony Reseigh who had to relay this ridiculous, fraudulent 'Alice in Wonderland' logic. There is no defence whatsover, Barnet are bang-to-rights.
IOPC loops with the CRU. CRU Melissa Poudel did a magnificent job logging the complaint which logged me back to the start of the loop. Director General Tom Whiting, “doesn't get involved” - previously deputy head of Harrow Council and has met John Hooton.
BARNET MP SARAH SACKMAN
Sarah got Jim McMahon, Minister of Housing to reply that this is for Barnet's monitoring officer and the Ombudsman. Monitoring officer, Jessica Farmer quotes the Environment and Localism Acts which contain no defence for Barnet but she still does nothing. The Ombudsman has a ceiling of £350,000, when Barnet criminal fraud is into millions.
LANDLORDS & MANAGING AGENTS
Parkgate Aspen, managing agents for Meghraj refused to pay and Barnet’s unpaid invoices built up, as did plastic bags in the bus station with Barnet charging to collect them.
Six months later Grey GR SLP acquired the lease and managing agent IPM paid all Barnet’s outstanding invoices and continues to pay, despite being cognisant that it is illegal to charge for domestic waste collection. If Grey GR SLP had refused to pay, Barnet would have been forced to stop the fraud, knowing full well it could never win in court.