THE widow of Tony Williams is to seek a meeting with the BCP chief executive to discuss the inquiry into former Bournemouth council leader, John Beesley and toughening up the Code of Conduct and rules of disclosure in the new council.

The authority covering Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole begins life today.

On Friday, in its last piece of political business, Bournemouth’s standards board accepted an independent inquiry that stated complaints by ten Tory colleagues against Cllr Beesley over his conduct in the Town Hall and his business interests were unproven.

But Mrs Lynne Williams says she is unhappy that evidence from a review into Cllr Beesley by her late husband when he was chief executive had not been considered by the inquiry. She told the Echo at the weekend: “I have been in email communication with Graham Farrant and he has offered his help and support over my concerns and I hope to be able to take him up on that in person when I come to Bournemouth.

“From a political point of view, I think it is absolutely critical that anyone with leadership aspirations on BCP should be totally open and transparent about their business dealings and outside interests so that the electors can have full confidence in the integrity of the local government system. I have had several messages of support on this from senior local political figures.”

Some members of the standards board accepted there was a ‘perception problem’ around the Beesley investigation.

Independent Cllr Kieron Wilson said he believed Cllr Beesley had brought the council into disrepute and all council leaders had to be held to the very highest standards of conduct. Tanya Coulter, the senior legal officer in Bournemouth and now BCP, said she believed the regulations would now need to be looked at. Cllr Beesley has said he has been “entirely vindicated” in both this inquiry and a criminal investigation by police. Mr Farrant (pictured) told the Echo last month he wants the highest standards in the new council.