BOURNEMOUTH council's former chief executive told an external auditor he was investigating the leader's involvement with a controversial planning scheme, the Daily Echo understands.

Top officer Tony Williams was made redundant at a council meeting on March 31, having gone on 'gardening leave' two weeks earlier.

At the time there was speculation, aired in Parliament by Christchurch MP Christopher Chope, that Mr Williams had been conducting a review of leader John Beesley's involvement via his business Hospitality Solutions with the Belvedere Hotel planning application prior to his abrupt departure.

A statement issued by the council press office on behalf of Cllr Beesley, Mr Williams and the borough denied that there had been any "disagreement" between the pair, and the leader said he was not "aware" of any such investigation.

However the Echo understands that Mr Williams informed the borough's external auditor - Grant Thornton LLP - that he was reviewing the leader's private role as a consultant for Belvedere Hotel applicant Fresh Lime Development.

It is also believed that Mr Williams, prior to his redundancy, had informed the council's internal auditor of his review, and the authority's monitoring officer Tanya Coulter.

He is known to have spoken informally with hoteliers who had objected to the application after it was granted in January, and is thought to have originally been approached by concerned members of the planning board after the meeting.

When asked about these claims, Cllr Beesley said he had "no knowledge of the specific issues" and reiterated that "the council and Mr Williams have also jointly stated that there has been no disagreement".

He restated his response to the original claims, saying: "I can confirm that as far as I know, the council has not been provided with any evidence from the chief executive on this matter, nor been requested by the chief executive to undertake an investigation or inquiry.’’

Cllr Beesley's involvement with the Belvedere application is thought to be at the heart of a forthcoming inquiry provoked by 10 Conservative councillors who made an official complaint last month.

The complaint alleges that the leader breached of the council's code of conduct and failed to properly make declarations of pecuniary interests under the Localism Act 2011.

The Echo approached two of the signatories for their views on Mr Williams' investigation.

Cllr Don McQueen said he had been contacted by the chief executive on March 16, the day before he was sent on leave.

He said: "He indicated he had started a significant investigation into John Beesley and the Belvedere Hotel and showed me a file, and said he had contacted the external auditor."

Cllr Nick Rose said: "I don't understand how Cllr Beesley can say there was no investigation into him, when one of the key reasons why the investigation was started was because he was being paid as a consultant by the Belvedere's developers."

He said any investigation by the former chief executive should be "concluded as soon as possible".