A FREEDOM of Information request into legal advice given to Bournemouth council leader John Beesley has been delayed.

The Daily Echo is seeking documents showing the advice given by the council's monitoring officer Tanya Coulter to the leader since 2015, on the subject of disclosable pecuniary interests.

The request follows a complaint made about Cllr Beesley's register of interests by councillors which is currently subject to a police inquiry, and will subsequently be investigated by the council itself.

In July the Echo was told the official completion date for the request was August 3, after further clarification was requested by council officers and provided.

However Leah Dover, the authority's access to information officer, said via email: "Unfortunately, we are unable to access and approve the information for release as the information is held within Ms Coulter’s electronic folders and she is currently on leave.

"Ms Coulter is aware of the request and has asked for this email to be sent to you to apologise for the delay.

"She will locate, extrapolate and review any relevant information she holds a soon as possible after she has returned from leave on the August 7, so that a response can be sent to you."

As yet the requested information has not been provided and an enquiry made by the Echo earlier this week has not been acknowledged.

Cllr Beesley's involvement with the planning application for the Belvedere Hotel earlier this year is thought to be at the heart of an inquiry provoked by 10 Conservative councillors who made an official complaint in May.

He worked in his capacity as a private consultant for hotel developer Fresh Lime.

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.

Cllr Beesley has stated that he has always followed legal advice on declarations of interest.