Fifth Edinburgh City Council worker sacked in statutory notice inquiry

A FIFTH member of staff at Edinburgh City Council has lost their job in the wake of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption over housing repairs.

Four workers were ousted last December and a further 15 are also thought to have been suspended under the wide-ranging probe, which the police and external consultants Deloitte have been helping with.

The local authority has been bombarded with more than 30 complaints since claims emerged that certain contractors and firms had been favoured for lucrative work, and that home-owners had been dramatically over-charged.

Senior managers are believed to be among the staff suspended since the investigation was launched almost two years ago, when it emerged that the value of statutory notice repairs had soared to £30 million, from £9.2m in 2005.

A council spokesman said: “These are extremely serious allegations which the council is rigorously investigating.

“We have already taken firm action by suspending a number of staff. Five people have been dismissed so far and some have appeals pending.

“We expect most of the cases relating to the suspensions to be brought to a conclusion in due course.”

The council has not estimated how much it may have to pay out in compensation if Edinburgh homeowners are found to have been overcharged.