The Standards Sub-Committee A of Lewisham Council met on Wednesday 25 February 2026 to consider a complaint made under the Council's Code of Conduct. The meeting's agenda included the determination of this complaint, which involved an investigation into the conduct of the Directly Elected Mayor and a Councillor.

Determination of a Complaint under the Code of Conduct

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the determination of a complaint made under the Council's Code of Conduct. The report pack indicated that the committee was asked to consider an Investigation Report prepared on behalf of the Monitoring Officer, Jeremy Chambers. This report concerned a complaint submitted by Ms Rachael Reign on 6 May 2025, alleging breaches of the Code of Conduct by Brenda Dacres, the Mayor of Lewisham, and Councillor Kim Powell.

The complaint against Councillor Kim Powell alleged that she used her position as a councillor to legitimise and promote the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), where she is reportedly a senior member and employee. Ms Reign's complaint highlighted that UCKG had been the subject of significant media investigations, including a BBC Panorama programme, documenting alleged historic and ongoing abuse and harmful practices. It was alleged that Councillor Powell requested the UCKG be included in a Lewisham Interfaith Walk in September 2024, causing distress to survivors and bringing the Council and the Labour Party into disrepute.

The complaint against Mayor Brenda Dacres alleged that she failed to address the matter objectively due to a close personal friendship with Councillor Powell. It was alleged that Mayor Dacres accepted Councillor Powell's denial of requesting UCKG's involvement in the interfaith event, despite contrary evidence. Mayor Dacres was accused of failing to uphold the Nolan Principles by not holding Councillor Powell accountable and by failing to offer meaningful remedies to survivors, such as declining to issue a public statement in solidarity with them. Concerns were also raised about Mayor Dacres' leadership during a Council meeting where she allegedly dismissed concerns as political point-scoring.

The Investigation Report, prepared by Alex Orham of CH&I Associates, concluded that Councillor Powell's involvement in securing UCKG's participation in the Interfaith Walk was carried out in her professional capacity as a UCKG employee and therefore did not fall within the jurisdiction of the Local Government Standards Framework. The report also found that Mayor Dacres was acting in her official capacity and that her response to the concerns raised did not amount to a failure to comply with the Code. The Independent Person agreed with these conclusions.

The report recommended that the Standards Sub-Committee determine that no breach of the Members' Code of Conduct was committed by either the Directly Elected Mayor or the Councillor. The report pack did not contain information on whether this recommendation was followed.

Declarations of Interest

Members were asked to declare any personal interests they had in any item on the agenda, in accordance with the Council's Member Code of Conduct. The report outlined the definitions of disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests, as well as the procedures for declaring interests and the impact on members' participation in discussions and decision-making. Failure to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000.