Hackney mayor Philip Glanville resigns after photo with paedophile former councillor

Hackney’s Labour mayor Philip Glanville has resigned after a photo emerged showing him at a Eurovision Party with former councillor Tom Dewey, who had been arrested over child abuse images.

Mr Glanville had been coming under pressure since the Facebook photo, in which the mayor is seen with Mr Dewey after being made aware of the investigation, was first reported last month.

In his resignation letter, Mr Glanville acknowledges he made “an error of judgement”, and reiterates his apology to “the people of Hackney, the council, and my colleagues”.

His resignation will come into effect from September 22.

The photo, broken in a story by The Morning Star on August 30, showed Mr Glanville at the party with a group of individuals including former Labour councillor, Mr Dewey.

Mr Dewey, who reportedly lived with Mr Glanville, was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on April 29 for a series of child pornography offences. After being elected to the council on May 6, he resigned 10 days later due to “personal reasons”.

He pleaded guilty last month to downloading images of children being sexually abused, as well as a collection of violent pornographic photos. He was given a 12-month suspended sentence at Wood Green Crown Court.

Mr Glanville had previously said he did not know of the investigation into Mr Dewey until after the May 2022 elections, and that he had “not seen or spoken to Mr Dewey since I became aware”.

However, the photo of the party was timestamped May 14, the same day he was told of Mr Dewey’s arrest by the former Hackney Council chief executive Mark Carroll.

He was subsequently suspended from the Labour Party, and earlier this month said he would temporarily step aside.

In a letter sent today to all elected council members and published on Hackney Council’s website, Mr Glanville said he tenders his resignation as mayor with effect from September 22.

“As I previously made clear I had my trust betrayed, but in turn I made an error of judgement and was not as transparent as I should have been. For that I accept full responsibility,” he wrote.

“It’s also for this error of judgement that I reiterate my apology to the people of Hackney, the council, and my colleagues.”

Mr Glanville adds that he “had never put the safeguarding of anyone at risk”, and that “my head and heart say I made a positive difference to the borough we all love”.

Interim chief executive of Hackney Council, Dawn Carter-McDonald, said: “Today I have accepted the resignation of the mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville.

“The mayor’s last day of office will be Friday 22 September 2023. I want to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing mayor for his seven years of service as mayor and the 17 years he has given to the borough and its residents as an elected politician.

“In line with the council’s constitution, the statutory deputy mayor, Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, will continue to act in the mayor’s place for as long as necessary.

“A mayoral election is likely to take place in the coming weeks, and I will provide more information as soon as I am able to.”

A statement from the Hackney Green Group noted they had “submitted a motion of no confidence in the Labour mayor for bringing his office and the council into disrepute and supported calls for his resignation”.

The statement continued: “We thank Philip Glanville for doing the right thing and stepping down for the sake of the council and the residents it serves. Hackney Greens recognise his 17 years of service and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

“With members of all parties and the wider community, and in the interest of full transparency, we continue to call for an independent investigation into who knew what and when around the arrest of Thomas Dewey, and what actions were taken as a result, both within the Labour Party and the council.

“We recognise that this has been a distressing and uncertain period for residents and council staff, who have felt let down by the Labour mayor’s actions. Hackney Green Party members will choose their candidate for the by-election for the next mayor for Hackney shortly.”