Met Police sues Sodexho over staffing bill

A row between the Metropolitan Police Authority and contract caterer Sodexho has boiled over into the High Court.

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The police accuse Sodexho of claiming the costs of more staff than were actually working at fifteen police stations in London it catered for.

According to a High Court writ, Sodexho has been "unjustly enriched" by about £375,000 by providing significantly fewer staff than claimed for.

Sodexho won the three-year contract to provide catering for the Met in 1997, using specified levels of staff. But in February 2000 contract monitoring officer Kathryn Gray detected discrepancies in staff levels, the writ says.

According to the claim, an internal audit by the Met of staff levels then revealed that Sodexho had not been supplying the numbers of staff it had been contracted to provide.

The Met argues that after its audit, it discovered that it had overpaid Sodexho by £590,350. But it gives credit for £175,000 worth of Sodexho bills it refused to pay and £215,000 for labour.

The Met is seeking damages, including payment of the balance of £373,350, and restitution of sums paid for two members of staff who were found not to have worked full time for the Met, as they had been contracted to do.

The contract between Sodexho and the Met was terminated from 28 December 2001.

Sodexho has said it strongly contests the allegations and claims it is in fact owed money by the Met.

by Sarah Limbrick