A London council chief earning nearly £190,000 a year has been charged with drug and driving offences after allegedly failing to stop at the scene of an accident.

Bayo Dosunmu, chief executive of Lambeth Council, was arrested on Sunday (23 June) in Westminster.

The 46-year-old, from Hammersmith, has been charged with possession of a controlled Class A drug, failing to stop after a road accident, being in charge of a vehicle while over the alcohol limit, and driving without insurance.

As head of the south London council, he earns £187,775 a year, according to a document from November 2022.

He also receives an unknown fee for being Lambeth’s Returning Officer for elections.

Each council is required to appoint someone who ensures the election is administered effectively and the experience for voters and candidates is positive.

Somebody else will now have to be appointed to the role before the general election next Thursday.

Lambeth Council said an interim chief executive had been put in place.

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A council spokesman said: “Lambeth Council chief executive Bayo Dosunmu is currently away from work and the council has put in place interim leadership arrangements.

“We are unable to make any further comment due to an ongoing police investigation.”

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Dosunmu was appointed as the council’s chief executive in 2022 after serving as its deputy chief executive and strategic director for resident services.

The council said he got the job after “an extensive executive search process” and he was praised by the panel lead for “his true passion and commitment for Lambeth”.

After being appointed, he said: “For me, there is no better organisation to lead, and no better place to be a public servant, than Lambeth. I can’t wait to get started.”

Before working at Lambeth Council, Dosunmu was executive director of Homes England, and also worked for the Olympic Delivery Authority, and the Welsh government.

Dosunmu is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 1 August.

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