Coventry Council deputy leader accused of using position to 'advance his own interests'

[dutchman]

Abdul Khan faces a hearing on April 5



Abdul Khan, the deputy leader of Coventry City Council, is facing an allegation of breaching the councillors' code of conduct. The council will hold a hearing into the allegation next week.

Cllr Khan originally faced four allegations from three different complainants. According to a document on the Coventry City Council's website, the claims "relate to a boundary dispute" and a report to the ethics committee concludes that Cllr Khan was "using his position in the council to seek to advance his own interests".

The author of the report stated that the deputy leader, on the "balance of probabilities", failed to comply with council's code of conduct.

The document adds: "The Complainants have made several allegations, including that the Subject Member (Mr Khan) breached the Council’s Code of Conduct for Elected and Co-opted Members by seeking to exert influence over officers in the Council with a view to receiving preferential treatment."

The council's ethics committee will hold a hearing in relation to the allegation on April 5.

A spokesman for Coventry City Council said: "The findings of the report into allegations made against Councillor Abdul Salam Khan will be formally presented to the Ethics Committee to consider. It would be inappropriate to comment or speculate on possible outcomes ahead of that meeting next week."

Gary Ridley, leader of Coventry Conservatives, said: "I’m absolutely gobsmacked to read about the conduct of Cllr Abdul Khan. An independent investigator has made it absolutely clear that he has not acted solely in the public interest in his role.

"There can be no denying his conduct has fallen short of what the public would expect from their leaders and he should be considering his position. The question for the Labour-dominated ethics committee now is whether they have the guts to sanction one of their own members or whether they try and brush this under the carpet."

There were two further allegations against Cllr Khan which have not been upheld. One alleged that Cllr Khan told a neighbour he would "make life hell" if they refused to sell him land so he could "secure planning permission for them in the event that they agreed to his proposal".

Another allegation read: "When the Police were called to the properties regarding the boundary dispute on April 3, 2021, it is alleged that the Subject Member (Mr Khan) said that he knew the Superintendent/Sergeant, would not be arrested and no action would be taken."

However both of these allegations saw the investigating officer find a lack of evidence to substantiate the allegations meaning the complaints made were not upheld.

Cllr Khan has been contacted for comment, although it is understood he rejects the findings of the report.

[dutchman]

Deputy council leader facing challenge for role after alleged ethics breach

Coventry City Council's Deputy Leader faces a challenge to his position just weeks after allegations that he broke the council's Code of Conduct. Councillor Abdul Salam Khan was due to appear at a hearing of the authority's Ethics Committee on April 5, following complaints made against him relating to a boundary dispute, but the meeting was postponed and is expected to take place after the election in late May.

The hearing was set to discuss an independent report's finding that Cllr Khan had tried to influence officers and was "using his position in the council to seek to advance his own interests." But the councillor, who represents Foleshill ward and is the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities, was understood to reject the report's findings.

Now he is facing a battle for his role as Deputy Leader on the Labour-run authority, from the current Coventry Lord Mayor, councillor John McNicholas, whose year as Mayor will come to an end in May. Reports of a deputy leadership challenge surfaced earlier this week and Lower Stoke Cllr McNicholas yesterday confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that he has put in a bid for the position.

He said he had been asked to consider standing a week ago. He denied that his challenge was related to Cllr Khan's ethics hearing, however. "That wasn't discussed," he said.

"I thought about it and I've got a lot of experience and I think what I have to offer is pretty unique," he added.

Council Leader George Duggins told the LDR Service today that he will be supporting Cllr Khan. Cllr Duggins said: "Abdul has been a fantastic deputy leader and great support to me since I have been leader and I will be supporting Abdul to remain as deputy leader."

"I respect John for coming forward, it is his right to come forward and put himself forward for any position," he added.

He said he hadn't asked Cllr McNicholas to stand and believed his nomination was not linked to the allegations against Cllr Khan, who "has not been found guilty of anything."

"That is not an issue for me," he said. The decision will take place at the local party's annual general meeting, to be held soon after the election on May 5.

[dutchman]

Coventry deputy council leader defeats Lord Mayor in battle for position



Coventry council's deputy leader has fended off a challenge from the current Lord Mayor for his role. Foleshill councillor Abdul Khan won a deputy leadership contest held by the Labour group last Friday (May 6).

A bid by Lower Stoke councillor John McNicholas for the role was announced days before the local election on May 5. It came just weeks after Cllr Khan faced a hearing into allegations, which he denies, that he had breached the council code of ethics.

The hearing is due to be rescheduled later this month.

Following news of the deputy leadership challenge last week, Cllr Khan received public backing from council leader George Duggins, who praised his deputy as "fantastic" and "a great support." Commenting on his re-election to the role, Cllr Khan said: "The fact that I am still the deputy leader shows there is confidence in me at the moment.

"Everything I do is for the people in the community of Coventry, that is all I want to focus myself on."

Asked about the ethics breaches allegations, Cllr Khan confirmed that he denies them and said they are "not that severe". He will present his case to the Ethics Committee when it is rescheduled later this month.

The Foleshill resident and practising lawyer was first elected deputy leader in 2015. He stayed in the role despite a change of leader from Ann Lucas to George Duggins a year later.

Cllr McNicholas, who challenged Cllr Khan for his position, has just spent a year as the council's Lord Mayor. "I've got a lot of experience and I think what I have to offer is pretty unique," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week.

[rebbonk]

Does this leave John McNicholas out of a job? - I know him but haven't seen him for quite a while, now.

[dutchman]

Coventry deputy leader did not breach ethics code, committee finds

Coventry City Council's Deputy Leader did not breach the council's ethical code, a committee has concluded. Cllr Abdul Khan was found not to have tried to influence council officers to get favourable treatment, and was instead being "informing and transparent".

But they also concluded that more "guidance and clarity" is needed for councillors when dealing with matters that they have a personal interest in. The verdict was reached following a three-and-a-half hour hearing of the council's Ethics Committee on Friday (8 July).

At the meeting, attendees heard from independent investigator Ros Foster who had looked into three complaints against Cllr Khan by his neighbours in relation to a boundary dispute.

Ms Foster's report dismissed two of the complaints but upheld one of them, 'Allegation Two'. This allegation claimed that Cllr Khan had "sought to exert influence over officers in the council with a view to receiving preferential treatment".

But the Deputy Leader denied the allegations and put his case to the Ethics Committee . An independent person also commented on the investigator's report at the meeting.

After an hour of deliberations, the committee decided in favour of Cllr Khan.

The independent chairman told the meeting: "We recognise the influence of Councillor Khan, however we do not consider that his actions were seeking to use his position to influence officers but rather was informing and being transparent in relation to the issues he was facing.

"We do not find a breach of the code in this respect."

But the chairman also said there was a need for better guidance and suggested that this be part of the committee's work next year.

They said: "Having considered these matters we do consider that there should be more guidance and clarity for elected members when dealing with matters that relate to their own personal interests that need to be raised with the council. We recommend that this becomes part of the ethics committee work programme to be addressed in the officer/ member protocol."

The committee also agreed with the report's dismissal of the two other complaints made against the Deputy Leader.

Cllr Khan told Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I am delighted that the allegations have been dismissed. I have said from the outset they are malicious and false allegations designed to cause me political harm and nothing more.

"Every contact I made with officers was open and transparent," he added.

He said the complaints were "an absolute pack of lies" and "totally out of character for me".

[rebbonk]

Coventry deputy leader did not breach ethics code, committee finds

It was always going to be thus.