POLICE are investigating the actions of a former Brent Mayor who was suspended for using charity money to buy a ball gown.

Councillor Bertha Joseph (Cons, Kensal Green), was handed a six-month ban from Brent Council in October last year after allegations she misused charity donations.

A senior office at Brent Police is now looking at an allegation of theft made against Cllr Joseph.

Cllr Joseph has consistently refuted all allegations against her, which date back to 2006 in her second stint as Mayor of Brent, when she used sponsorship money to buy the gown and failed to declare cash gifts totalling £900.

Cllr Joseph maintains the allegations are part of a slur campaign against her, in revenge for her 2007 defection from Labour to the Tories.

She was investigated by police in June 2009 after an allegation of theft was made, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action.

The latest development puts further pressure on Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, who has so far rejected calls to dismiss Cllr Joseph from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

She holds the post of deputy chairman on the body, which is under City Hall control, and there have been calls for her to be sacked following her suspension.