- Official: Croydon Council housing employee convicted.
- Sentence: 12-month suspended jail term.
- Fine: £10,000 imposed by court.
- Offense: Moonlighting with second full-time job.
- Second Job: Another London authority position.
- Location: Croydon and Barnet borough.
Sally Bodom was fired by Croydon Council after it was found that she was also employed by Barnet Council.
Bodom began working full-time at Croydon’s housing department in July 2016, but she was able to work “hybrid” jobs for two years.
A Croydon Council representative stated that they disapproved of Bodom’s actions when she had her collar felt and was sent down shortly before Christmas.
“We will not tolerate staff taking on secondary employment which has not been approved by the council,”
they said, somewhat suggesting that there are examples of secondary jobs of which they will “approve”.
“We take a proactive approach on detecting possible signs of dual working,”
the Croydon Council spox told the Local Government Lawyer website.
The council spokeswoman did not specify what these “proactive” actions may entail.
However, no one in Dean “Shagger” Shoesmith’s HR department at Fisher’s Folly noticed that Bodom had been employed for over two years as a business support officer in Barnet’s family services department; multiple paychecks were discovered during a fraud investigation.
It has been reported that Bodom was able to persuade management in Croydon and Barnet, where she first “worked” four days a week, that she was giving them her full attention because she was “working from home.”
“Our hybrid working policy… states that employees are contractually required to work in the London Borough of Croydon and attend their workplace regularly,”
the council spox trotted out, without elaborating on what they mean by “regularly”.
“We have measures in place to identify and reduce risks, ensuring officers are held accountable.”
Bodom was prosecuted by Barnet rather than Croydon, and she was given a 12-month prison sentence with a two-year suspension at Willesden Magistrates’ Court just before Christmas. She was also required to conduct unpaid labor, fulfill the requirements for rehabilitation activities, and pay £10,000. To Barnet.
Croydon receives nothing.
Bodom’s offense was characterized in court as “polygamous working,” which is the act of working multiple full-time jobs concurrently.
Bodom began working at Barnet in 2022 after working for Croydon for six years. In March 2024, he became a full-time employee. Barnet claims that Bodom received a salary of more than £60,000 throughout her tenure.
Like Croydon, her municipal contract at Barnet forbade “undeclared additional employment that could interfere with her duties.”
Bodom pleaded guilty to one count of fraud by false representations and one count of fraud by failure to disclose during her court appearance.
Barnet’s council leader, senior Labour councillor Barry Rawlings, expressed his expectation that “this prosecution will really highlight the seriousness of this modern-day fraud of polygamous working and will be a strong deterrent.”
What is Awaab’s Law and how does it relate to housing councils?
Awaab’s Law is UK legislation calling for strict timeframes for social casing landlords, including councils, to probe and remediate serious hazards like damp, mould, and extremities.
Named after two- year-old Awaab Ishak, who failed in 2020 from prolonged exposure to severe mold in his Rochdale council flat, the law effective from October 27, 2025 points to annihilate similar tragedies by fairly obliging landlords to prioritize tenant health over detainments or defenses.
Original authorities like Croydon Council, as social landlords managing millions of homes, must probe exigency hazards( e.g., major leaks) within 24 hours and fix them incontinently; significant damp/ mould requires assessment in 10 working days and remediation in 5 further, with indispensable accommodation if timelines slip phased expansion covers all hazards except overcrowding by 2027.
