COUNCILLORS must declare their expenses in greater detail in the new conurbation authority, an MP has said.

Christchurch MP Sir Christopher Chope, who opposed the merger in the first place, said he and fellow members of parliament faced more stringent rules when declaring their pecuniary interests, and these should be extended to local government.

“There is a big gap in the law and a huge inconsistency between what MPs have to do and local councillors,” he said.

“And local councillors have much more power over local decision making, especially in planning.”

Sir Christopher said MPs were expected to declare specific sources of income, and the clients for whom they had worked, while councillors could simply list job titles.

He pointed to Bournemouth council leader Cllr John Beesley, who currently lists his work as a hospitality consultant on the register of expenses as ‘Hospitality Solutions’, with no details on the clients he has worked with or how much he has been paid.

Cllr Beesley’s declarations of pecuniary interest were the subject of a complaint made by 10 councillors in April 2017, which alleged they were illegally registered, and led to a police investigation.

Last year Dorset Police dropped their probe after Crown prosecutors concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to prosecute Cllr Beesley for breaking the rules. The leader, who is currently under an external civil investigation for other matters in the complaint, always maintained he had declared his expenses according to the guidance he had received from the borough’s legal department.

Sir Christopher said councillors were able to take advantage of a “loophole” in the law and he would like to see Parliament legislate to close it.

“The new unitary authority must have a new code and constitution that reflects this, in the interests of transparency and accountability,” he said.

“Given how much damage this whole affair has already done.”

In response, Tanya Coulter, monitoring officer for Bournemouth and Poole councils, said: “The shadow council is currently working on new arrangements for the future and a report proposing a new constitution will be put forward to the shadow authority in February.

“A wide range of suggestions have been considered. The constitution will be pro-actively reviewed during its first 12-18 months in light of elections taking place in May.

“There will be a need to ensure the constitution works effectively for the new council once it is up and running.”

Investigation into leader under way

AN external civil investigation into the complaint against Cllr Beesley is under way, Bournemouth council says.

The borough has appointed Mark Heath of national law firm VWV Solicitors to conduct the inquiry into allegations the leader breached the borough’s code of conduct by bullying staff, bringing the council into disrepute and compromising its integrity.

“I am currently investigating the matters contained within the complaint which are within the council’s jurisdiction,” Mr Heath said.

“I will be providing in due course a report setting out my findings and recommendations.”

Ms Coulter said the investigator was “an experienced former monitoring officer” who had “undertaken many sensitive and complex investigations previously”.