ALLEGATIONS that Bournemouth council leader John Beesley breached the Localism Act 2011 have been referred to Dorset Police.

In a statement, the borough said the referral had been made as part of its "usual protocol", as reported in yesterday's Daily Echo.

"We can confirm that in accordance with our usual protocol that any aspect of a complain that touches on alleged criminal activity is referred to our single point of contact with the police," the statement says.

"The monitoring officer has earlier today referred the matter involving the complaint against the leader to Dorset Police."

The complaint, filed on Wednesday and signed by 10 Conservative councillors, alleges Cllr Beesley breached the council’s code of conduct and failed to properly make declarations of pecuniary interest under the Localism Act 2011.

A key part of the complaint is thought to be Cllr Beesley’s involvement in the recent planning application for the Belvedere Hotel, granted in January, in which he acted as a consultant to the developer.