CCTV footage and internal emails revealing how Hobart council staff caught deputy lord mayor Zelinda Sherlock removing refreshments from the Town Hall have been released under right to information laws.
The documents, obtained through a request lodged by councillor Louise Elliot on February 2, were released this week and provide the most detailed picture yet of how the matter unfolded inside council.
The CCTV images show Sherlock and another person, whose identity is redacted, visiting the Town Hall members lounge on January 7 and January 10 2024 – when council was not sitting.
On the Sunday morning, the pair made two trips into the lounge around 8:42am, entering with an empty bag and leaving with a full one each time.
On the Wednesday night, they returned around 10:15pm and again made two trips within minutes.
The council’s annual budget for elected members’ refreshments is $4,000.
Internal emails show staff had already been tracking unusual stock levels for months before the CCTV review, with one noting in June 2023 that cupboards had been locked “as we want to monitor how/when the stock is going down”.
By January 2024, a staff member documented that within 48 hours of restocking the lounge, items including sparkling wine, Boags beer, soft drinks, chocolate and nuts had disappeared despite no meetings being held.
After reviewing the CCTV, the staff member escalated the matter, writing that “the actions of the identified Councillor in this instance are questionable and wanted to ensure senior management are aware of what I have observed”.
A colleague responded there was “a general level of concern in the knowledge of these recorded events and as such a sense to escalate this up to your attention”.
The documents also include a Teams message between staff asking that the matter be kept confidential.
A handover memo to incoming CEO Michael Stretton from acting chief executive Neil Noye recorded that Sherlock said she had been taking refreshments “for a number of years” and believed they were part of the “fringe benefits” of her role.
Noye noted the policy at the time did not clearly state items had to be consumed on site and concluded no further action was warranted.
Sherlock has previously said the matter was dealt with at the time and she apologised for misunderstanding the policy.
“A couple of years ago staff clarified that our Town Hall work snacks could not be consumed elsewhere,” she said.
She accused colleagues of using the issue to “manufacture dirt” ahead of council elections.
