A councillor in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets had £300 per hour acting lessons, which he claimed on his expenses, a Freedom of Information request has revealed. 

The disclosure has prompted calls for an inquiry into the expenses claims.

The Docklands and East London Advertiser report:

Labour councillor Mizan Chaudhury had two hours of lessons at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in September 2011 after being made speaker of Tower Hamlets council, at a cost of £600 to the tax-payer.

The revelation comes at a time when the council is trying to make £100m savings over four years.

Tory group leader cllr Peter Golds said: “It’s unbelievable. There needs to be a full investigation into how these claims are being made.”

You can read the full report here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.