Politicians and campaign groups are calling for an investigation into the New Bermondsey development and Millwall Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) decision following a revelation about false funding claims.

This follows the revelation that the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, which is central to the overall development, falsely stated they had been allocated £2million of funding from Sports England.

The Charity Commission, who regulate the activities of charities in the UK, have confirmed that they have opened a case to receive information about the false funding claim.

Labour councillor Alan Hall, chairman of the overview and scrutiny committee, has campaigned against the CPO and wrote to Barry Quirk, Lewisham’s chief executive, asking him to arrange a “full and independent investigation”.

News Shopper: Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock

Lewisham's elected mayor Steve Bullock.

Lewisham Deptford Conservatives have also written to elected Mayor Steve Bullock calling for an independent review into the New Bermondsey Development and the Millwall Compulsory Order decision.

Ross Archer, Chairman of Lewisham Deptford Conservatives, said: “The latest news that the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation have appeared to lie about Sport England funding is simply outrageous.

“They have appeared to dupe Lewisham Council into giving away £500,000 of taxpayers’ money.

“This whole development has been fraught with problems from the start and the Labour leadership in Lewisham Council have appeared far too close to the developers Renewal.

“This whole process has raised questions and it looks like either serious malpractice or grave incompetence is taking place at the Town Hall or worse both.

“That’s why the Mayor and Cabinet have to stop the Millwall CPO and the Department for Communities and Local Government must conduct an independent review of this whole process if the local community are to have any confidence in the Labour dominated Lewisham Council on this development and others.”

Lewisham political group People Before Profit have launched a petition calling for the resignation of Steve Bullock and deputy mayor Alan Smith.

Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, of which Steve Bullock is a trustee, claimed that they had confirmed the funding with Sports England, however the application was withdrawn in 2013 and no further application has been made.

A post on their website on March 22 last year states ‘Sport England pledge £2m towards facilities’.

The sports foundation website has been taken down since the false claim was revealed in an investigation by The Guardian newspaper.

News Shopper:

A screenshot from the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation website.

Steve Norris, Chair of the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation (SCSF) said: “The Surrey Canal Sports Foundation approached Sport England in 2011 to seek a £2 million funding commitment for the proposed sports facilities at New Bermondsey.

"Our initial application was placed onto Sport England's Iconic Facilities Fund. In October 2013 we received a formal letter from Sport England which referenced their ongoing support for the project and that the application was now being moved onto the Strategic Facilities Fund.

"Whilst the SCSF has made significant progress over the past four years we have not progressed a more formal application since October 2013 due to the inordinate length of the Compulsory Purchase Order process and ongoing land assembly led by Renewal.

"We are still awaiting the outcome of the CPO process but following this we intend to re-engage Sport England and will be making a formal application for funding in the coming weeks.”

A Sport England spokesman said: “In 2010 we received a funding application from the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, but this was subsequently withdrawn in 2013. We therefore have no funding agreement, of any kind, in place with them.”