Labour has called for the immediate publication of a report into the council’s financial controls after a former employee was jailed over a £2 million fraud.

Cllr Barry Rawlings, leader of Barnet’s Labour group, has written to the report’s author, Grant Thornton, calling for the document to be made public.

The report is currently in draft format to allow Capita to review and comment on its accuracy, and the council previously stated it would be presented to the audit committee in the autumn.

But Labour councillors claim Capita have already had several weeks to respond to the issues and are “dragging their feet”.

Cllr Rawlings called for action after former contractor Trishul Shah was jailed for five years for defrauding the council of £2 million.

Mr Shah made 62 fraudulent payments relating to compulsory purchase orders between July 2016 and December 2017, while he was employed on a regional enterprise contract with Capita.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by abuse of position and was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on July 31.

Leader of Barnet Labour Group Cllr Barry Rawlings said: “It is vital this report is published. This appalling fraud raises serious concerns about the lack of financial controls under the Conservative’s massive outsourcing contracts with Capita.

“We need reassurance that there are no further frauds to uncover and that proper processes are in place to ensure this cannot happen again.

“Grant Thornton releasing this report will be an important first step in holding the administration and Capita to account for their actions and inactions.”

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: “The Grant Thornton report is still in draft format. We did however provide an update, via an exempt paper, to members at the last meeting of the audit committee.

“The findings will be made public in due course. This was clearly communicated to members of the audit committee at the last meeting.”