Waltham Forest Council has launched an internal investigation into claims it failed to safely manage asbestos found in the basement of the former town hall.

Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the council will decide whether to refer itself to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a government body which investigates and prosecutes safety issues.

In 1984, a survey discovered “extensive” asbestos in the basement of the former building, which should be removed “as soon as possible”.

However, a council spokesperson previously confirmed asbestos removal was “undertaken as part of the recent refurbishment” of the town hall last year, almost 40 years later.

In July 2020, the council paid a former employee who worked in the basement for over a decade £265,000 in damages, on top of unknown private medical costs, after he developed a rare cancer linked to inhaling asbestos.

The council’s ongoing investigation – led by the council’s corporate director of governance and law Mark Hynes, with the help of law firm Clyde & Co – was triggered by repeated complaints from local blogger Nick Tiratsoo.

Using a Freedom of Information request, Nick recently obtained the council’s “asbestos management procedure”, which should be regularly reviewed according to asbestos regulations.

Nick told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I asked for the management strategy from 2015 to 2020 and they sent me back a document that originated in 2013 and was last modified in 2014.

“It has no signatures and no dates, one of the named people left in 2015 [and] the pages aren’t filled in at all about training.

“I asked for [management strategies] for other years but they said they ‘don’t possess that information’.”

HSE has previously prosecuted the council under Control of Asbestos regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act in 2015, when it issued a £66,000 fine. 

HSE has been approached for comment but has not responded at the time of publication.

A council spokesperson previously stated that the newly rebuilt town hall “is safe to work in and visit” and “complies to all current legislation” around asbestos.

In response to a request for comment on the investigation, a council spokesperson confirmed that it was taking place.