Editors go to the Tower of London (From Times Series)

Editors go to the Tower of London

6:28pm Monday 5th October 2009

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Years and years ago the then Labour leader of Barnet Council, one Robbie Robinson, photographer Rod Brewster and I, in my guise as investigative editor of the Times series, crouched on a roof at Heathrow and watched the old town clerk of the borough return from a holiday in his villa in Spain and be driven back to Hendon in the Mayoral car.

My 'mole' at the town hall had supplied me with a copy of the docket briefing the chauffeur to be at the airport to pick up the VIP arrival ... along with several more showing the Mayoral car being used for journeys other than to take the borough's number one citizen around for his varied activities.

There were trips to masonic lodge meetings in the West End - the town clerk was an officer of the Lodge - and an oustanding one into Hertfordshire to collect a leaf lifter for the swimming pool at the town clerk's villa and deliver it south of London to a person who was going to take it abroad.

Recent events at the old town hall, with standards of conduct being discussed, prompt my recollection of the time I tilted at the Establishment.

My own personal Deepthroat held a responsible position in the corridors of power at the town hall in The Burroughs and was determined that his perceived misuse of the Mayoral car should be brought into the open.

We first met in a quiet corner of The Chequers at Church End, Hendon, one lunchtime for me to receive copies of the dockets relating to the Mayoral car.

I finally brought Councillor Robinson into the picture as I, craftily, needed a Labour ally to launch my findings on the world for me to report them.

Labour had 17 councillors out of 60 and loved the chance to tilt at the Tory Establishment. It wasn't political for me; I simply worked on the basis that none of Robbie's group would have been members of the council's Masonic Lodge and wouldn't have enjoyed unauthorised trips in the Mayoral Rolls.

Councillor John Champion, who was standing as a prospective Parliamentary candidate for Labour in Hendon North, was handed the ammunition to launch the story of the dockets at a council meeting ... and I prepared my front page lead story.

"You sure about this?" asked the managing director when he heard that the phone between the town hall and the Times office had been red hot with threats of legal action - we didn't really need the phone the way we shouted at each other! - and that I had been invited to lunch with the officers of the council.

"You're the one who will finish in the Tower of London", was the comforting addendum from my md.

I uneasily lunched with the officers, who seemed more determined to establish the identity of my "mole" than to discuss the actual use of the Mayoral car.In turn, I was beseeched by many Conservative friends to reveal my source as the story would provie a blot on the town clerk's fine career.

One of my big pals at the time was the Deputy Town Clerk - Mrs S and I socialised with him - and the story put a strain on our friendship.

I protected my source, believed I had a good story, declined an invitation to join the Lodge and tried to keep the pot boiling. The council set up an inquiry and I was invited to attend to give evidence. I declined on the basis that all the panel were members of the Lodge.

Eventually, the panel decision was that the town clerk would pay £75 in respect of some of the journeys in the Mayoral Rolls. I didn't win a Pullitzer prize or a Journalist of the Year award --- I was left with a few impressive headline cuttings, a few ex-friends in the council chamber and the realisation that you can tilt at the Establishment but you can rarely win.

As a follow-up I rang the delightful lady who was the Mayor's secretary and asked if I could hire the Rolls to take me to a game at West Ham. She just laughed and said: "You are a one, Dennis".

I guess my satisfaction from the episode was the confirmation that the town hall was buzzing with "There's only one Dennis Signy".