Senior Tory defies Bournemouth MP over call to quit (From Bournemouth Echo)

Senior Tory defies Bournemouth MP over call to quit

8:20am Wednesday 7th July 2010 in

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THE deputy leader of Bournemouth council is defying calls from an MP for him to quit his post.

Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood has called on Cllr John Beesley to resign because he faces a standards board investigation.

The MP has said all councillors under investigation should stand down from front-line positions following the resignation of council leader, Stephen MacLoughlin last week.

But whereas Cllr MacLoughlin had admitted that adult websites had been accessed from his computer, Cllr Beesley denies there is any basis to an opposition councillor’s claims against him.

Cllr Beesley would not say whether he would stand for the post of council leader, but said Mr Ellwood’s comments had been “disappointing and unhelpful”.

He said “most sensible, experienced and astute members of parliament” took the view that the running of local councils was not within their remit. “Ellwood doesn’t fit into any of those categories,” he said.

Cllr Beesley spoke of his frustration that the investigation against him was not concluded months ago.

The case concerns allegations that as chairman of the planning board, he should have declared an interest over his personal friendship with planning consultant Tony Ramsden.

Cllr Beesley said he had always been “completely transparent” and sought the advice of council officers over whether to declare an interest.

He said the continued delays in taking his case before the standards board defied “natural justice”.

“I had anticipated – obviously unrealistically – that it would take six to eight weeks. Here we are almost eight months later. That’s a wholly unacceptable position to be put in,” he said.

He added of Mr Ellwood: “Here were are this far down the line and suddenly he thinks I should resign.”

Mr Ellwood did not want to add to the comments reported in Monday’s Daily Echo, in which he said all councillors under investigation should “step back from the front line”.