Hackney chief executive’s evidence ‘deeply disturbing’, says judge in Penshurst Road repairs row

A judge has indicated he is unlikely to grant a request to remove Hackney Council’s chief executive, Dawn Carter-McDonald, from an injunction over overdue repairs to a leaseholder’s flat. The request came from her counsel. His Honour Judge Roberts gave his view on Wednesday 23 September 2026 at Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court. He was hearing a committal application from the leaseholder, Thomas Leveritt, whose contempt bid against her was lodged more than a year ago.

No finding of contempt has been made. The two sides are said to be negotiating a settlement that would cover the contempt application and the original disrepair claim.

How the Hackney repairs dispute reached court

The case began with an order from District Judge Beecham on 14 March 2025, which set a deadline of 31 May 2025 for the council to finish work on Mr Leveritt’s flat in Penshurst Road. Ms Carter-McDonald was named in it personally, so she would be the one answerable in contempt proceedings if the order was breached.

The day before the deadline, the council applied to the High Court for more time. Mr Justice Rajah turned the application down, saying the council had taken a “leisurely approach”. In June 2025 the council said some of the outstanding repairs had been carried out on 5 June and 9 June, and that the rest would be done by 30 June. It later said all the work was complete by the end of that month.

Mr Leveritt applied for contempt in August, saying the repairs had not been finished. The council disputes this. In October 2025 District Judge Redpath-Stevens adjourned the case for case management and did not rule on whether Ms Carter-McDonald was in contempt.

What the judge said about the chief executive’s statement

Judge Roberts said he found the way she and her counsel had handled the case “troubling”. He called her witness statement “deeply disturbing” and said her explanation that the council is a “very big organisation” was “wholly irrelevant”.

His sharpest criticism was of her claim that she had not known what works were required, a point the council’s barrister, Edward Blakeney, had repeated. “It’s a very, very bad point,” the judge said. If the matter reached sentencing, he said, it would count as an aggravating factor, and she should know all of this. He described the council’s conduct as “a pattern” and noted that her communications contained no apology. He also said the parties could still reach an agreement.

Contempt of court carries a maximum of two years in prison, and a court can also impose a fine or order assets to be confiscated. Such penalties are rare for councils and other public bodies.

The council has apologised to Mr Leveritt before. In June 2025 Steve Waddington, then Hackney’s strategic director of housing services, apologised “wholeheartedly” for the distress and inconvenience. Ms Carter-McDonald declined to comment.