IRIS ROBINSON has been cleared of any wrongdoing over how Castlereagh Borough Council awarded a contract to run the Lock Keeper’s Inn to her former lover, Kirk McCambley.
Ms Robinson (61) was a member of the council when the lease for the cafe, which is close to the river Lagan in south Belfast, was awarded to Mr McCambley and a business partner.
An independent review was ordered by the council in January last year after BBC's Spotlightprogramme carried allegations that Ms Robinson was instrumental in persuading two businessmen to help finance the venture with a £50,000 loan.
The disclosures, including details about how Ms Robinson had a relationship with Mr McCambley when he was 19, exacerbated a personal and health crisis for Ms Robinson and triggered a political crisis for her husband and First Minister Peter Robinson.
Ms Robinson stood down as an MP and Assembly member for Strangford and also as a Castlereagh councillor. She was also put under psychiatric care and received several months of treatment for mental health problems in England. It also emerged that in 2009 she attempted to take her own life.
The controversy surrounding what became known as “Irisgate” also caused serious political problems for Mr Robinson and threatened the stability of the Northern Executive and Assembly. Mr Robinson temporarily stood down as First Minister and in May last year lost his East Belfast Westminster seat to Naomi Long of the Alliance Party.
Following the Spotlight programme, Castlereagh Borough Council commissioned Deloitte to conduct an independent internal investigation into the awarding of the lease of the Lock Keeper’s Inn.
Its brief was to examine whether the council suffered any financial loss as a result of Mr McCambley getting the lease; whether there was any impropriety in the awarding of the contract; whether local government legislation was complied with in the awarding of the lease; and what recommendations should be made following from the inquiry.
On Thursday night, councillors heard that Ms Robinson and the council were cleared of any wrongdoing. “The report concluded that there was no evidence of financial loss to the council or any impropriety by council officers or members directly involved in the assessment panel regarding the award of the lease,” the council said in a statement yesterday.
The council, in its statement, said it would require time to “comprehensively review the report and enable councillors and officers to respond to the content”. It said a further report will then be presented to the council.
DUP Assembly member and party group leader on the council, Jimmy Spratt, said: “This report brings this chapter in the history of Castlereagh Borough Council to a close.” He added, “There is no evidence of wrongdoing by officers of the council or either past or current councillors.”
Mr McCambley is no longer directly involved with the Lock Keeper’s Inn.
