THE full extent of former Bournemouth council chief executive Tony Williams' investigation into the authority's Conservative leader John Beesley can be fully revealed for the first time today in an exclusive Daily Echo report.

Mr Williams was made redundant from the council in March 2017, two weeks after he returned to work from long term sick leave - he had had a virulent rare strain of double pneumonia that resulted in his hospitalisation and needed a long period of convalescence.

Cllr Beesley rejected an allegation made that month in Parliament by an MP that Mr Williams had been pushed out to stop him completing his investigation.

Mr Williams passed away in March last year at the age of 56 after a short battle with cancer.

But the Daily Echo has now had access from official sources to some of Mr Williams' private papers relating to the inquiry he launched into Cllr Beesley's commercial dealings as a hospitality consultant in Bournemouth.

  • The documents seen by the Echo outline the concerns given by councillors, officers, MPs, hoteliers and developers about Cllr Beesley
  • Allegations were made about an apparent conflict of interest
  • The papers do not allege any illegal action by Cllr Beesley or breach of rules, but instead claim 'considerable reputational damage to the council arising from Cllr Beesley's activities'
  • One MP said Cllr Beesley should be open and transparent about his business dealings "if only to clear his name"
  • The leader allegedly asked whether he could accept a sum of around £40k from the Meyrick Estate for consultancy work on the redevelopment of three hotels on the East Cliff
  • Claims were made in Commons that the former chief executive was removed from the council so that he could not conclude his investigation into Cllr Beesley

Cache of documents include 40-page draft statement to Dorset Police

The documents and notes outline the extent of the concern among leading councillors, senior council officers, the town's two Conservative MPs, representatives of the hotel and tourism industry and a number of developers about Cllr Beesley, who runs his own private sector consultancy, Hospitality Solutions.

They also detail the perceived conflict of interest with his extensive power and influence as council leader. Cllr Beesley has always denied any conflict of interest or breach of the rules.

The papers include extracts of Mr Williams' 40-page draft statement to Dorset Police, notes of numerous meetings and conversations and legal advice that Mr Williams sought from solicitors Bevan Brittan about his investigation and how it should be taken forward.

The investigation centred on Cllr Beesley's role as a paid consultant to a development firm when it won controversial planning consent for the Belvedere Hotel site in Bournemouth.

But it also covered much wider concerns about the councillor and his business activities, a perceived lack of transparency and issues of reputational damage to the local authority.

'Significant unease about leader's visits'

Cllr Beesley's attendance at pre-meetings on the Belvedere scheme and his visits to the inner sanctums of the planning department caused 'significant unease' among officers and the whole issue reflected badly on the reputation of the council, Mr Williams believed.

Officers told him they were uncomfortable with the apparent conflict of interest.

Cllr Beesley, who is hoping to become the leader of the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council, is believed to have been paid several thousands of pounds by the applicant Fresh Lime Developments.

He has never disclosed how much he actually received in the council's Register of Members' Interests. He says what he does and does not disclose is based on the advice from the council's monitoring officer, Tanya Coulter.

Of major concern at the town hall was the fact that the leader of the council was involved in advising the developers on the application to his own local authority, and that while Cllr Beesley says his business is about hospitality advice, his work on the Belvedere focused on the critical planning and highways issues.

The Belvedere application was granted in January 2017 while Mr Williams was on sick leave, even though the decision by the planning committee directly contravened the council's own policies, which the authority acknowledged. Hoteliers were furious at the decision.

Developers 'believe Bournemouth is a town where planning permission can be bought'

One legal document refers to a perception among developers, relayed to Mr Williams by a leading business in that sector, that Bournemouth was allegedly 'a place where planning permission can be bought.'

Mr Williams' papers do not allege any illegal action by Cllr Beesley or breach of rules but he does say there was considerable reputational damage to the council arising from Cllr Beesley's activities.

Mr Williams had meetings with a number of people concerned about Cllr Beesley, including Conservative Councillors Gina Mackin, Don McQueen, Steve Bartlett (a member of the planning committee) and at least three others, MP Conor Burns – who said both he and colleague Tobias Ellwood were extremely concerned about public perceptions – heads of planning Andrew England and Mike Holmes, head of tourism Mark Smith, former chief executive Pam Donnellan, former Dorset County Council chief executive David Jenkins, the council's external auditor Paul Dowsett of Grant Thornton, leading developers and hoteliers including Rosie Wallace and Andy Woodland of the Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association. Mr Williams also spoke with executive director for the economy, Bill Cotton, executive director for the economy.

Mr Burns said he believed Cllr Beesley should be open and transparent about his business dealings "if only to clear his name."

Claims made about £40k consultancy bid from Meyrick Estate

Issues were also raised about Cllr Beesley's directorship of developers Quantum and his relationship with Bournemouth's biggest landowner, the Meyrick Estate.

In his draft police statement, Mr Williams says Cllr Beesley asked him whether he could accept a sum of around £40k from the Meyrick Estate for consultancy work on the redevelopment of three hotels on the East Cliff. Mr Williams said he should not.

Cllr Beesley later secured a consultancy contract with the proposed developer of the site, Quantum, something Mr Williams did not know about until another development firm drew it to his attention.

In his draft statement to the police, Mr Williams, who was an executive director at the council before being appointed chief executive in 2012, said issues had arisen in 2007 when Cllr Beesley was chairman of the planning board and also deputy leader.

Later, following a complaint, there was a standards board inquiry into Cllr Beesley's role in the application to develop the Studland Dene Hotel and his relationship with planning consultant Tony Ramsden. Cllr Beesley was cleared of any wrongdoing by the inquiry. Mr Ramsden later went to jail on unrelated matters.

Chief executive given 'whistleblower' status – and worried about who he could trust

Mr Williams' papers also express the concern that Cllr Beesley might have been running his private business interests from the town hall, where he often spends up to 16 hours a day.

Before he left the council, Mr Williams was granted whistleblower status by the head of internal audit, Feriser Tasdelen, in June 2017 and then later by the district auditor.

Whistleblowing policies and status exist to ensure that employees can be legally protected if they expose what they believe may be wrongdoing.

Mr Williams' notes and papers show most of his own meetings took place away from the town hall because he was concerned about who he could trust.

An 18-month police investigation into Cllr Beesley, who became council leader in 2012, ended in December with the conclusion there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution.

However, an independent inquiry into the council leader and his business activities is currently in progress.

It is believed that the inquiry led by Mark Heath of public sector solicitors VWV has not asked for any of Mr Williams' paperwork, reports and legal documentation that is in the estate's possession.

When the Echo contacted representatives of the estate of Mr Williams, they expressed surprise they had not been invited to take part, to put his side of the story, "without which," they say, "no inquiry could be complete".

The family, however, would make no further comment.

MP alleged Mr Williams was removed from council

Mr Williams claimed in one of his private reports that senior officers including Ms Coulter and the then-deputy chief executive Jane Portman (who was acting chief executive during Mr Williams' illness and then appointed managing director of the council when he left) did not pay enough attention to the effects of Cllr Beesley's actions on the public perception of the council and its reputation.

There was more focus on any potential damage to Cllr Beesley and the ruling Conservative party, in his opinion.

Mr Williams points out in one document that the principle of standards in public life of openness and transparency, known as the Nolan Principles, were in question.

Mr Williams left the council on Friday March 17 in view of the impending merger of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole councils.

His door pass was immediately rescinded and his phone and emails cut off.

The following Friday, Christchurch MP Christopher Chope claimed in the Commons, under Parliamentary Privilege that Mr Williams was removed from the council so that he could not conclude his investigation into Cllr Beesley.

Cllr Beesley said this was not true.

That afternoon, an officer from the council rang Mr Williams to ask him to sign a joint statement with Cllr Beesley, following a request for clarification from the Echo.

It said: "There has been speculation that the proposed redundancy of the chief executive's post has come about in order to prevent an investigation by the chief executive into my business, Hospitality Solutions. 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 requested by the chief executive to undertake an investigation or enquiry."

Mr Williams refused to sign the statement.

Cllr Beesley's response

The Daily Echo asked Cllr Beesley a number of questions relating to the above but he said he felt unable to answer at this time in light of the independent inquiry still in progress and not having seen the documents shown to the Echo.

Cllr Beesley has been offered a full right of reply to today's article.

Separately, a spokesman for the council said all relevant documents from the town hall had been sent to the inquiry.

  • Tomorrow: How and why the Belvedere application was granted.