Wragge Report: The explosive Sandwell Council land sales saga

The Wragge report, commissioned by the authority's late leader Darren Cooper following allegations that plots of council owned land were sold at below market value, was finally published yesterday afternoon.

It followed 48 hours of High Court drama that saw efforts to block its publication thrown out by a top judge.

Last night Labour's deputy leader and MP for West Bromwich East Tom Watson said he was 'deeply shocked' at the report's findings, which reveal a shocking series of code of conduct breaches by the council's former deputy leader Mahboob Hussain.

He told the Express & Star: "The contents of the Wragge report will clearly require a referral to the standards committee of Sandwell Council.

"I am also deeply concerned about the attempts to suppress this report by people who claim to represent the Labour Party.

"I want to reassure the residents of Sandwell that I will not tolerate any councillor that falls below the standards expected of them. I will not let their conduct tarnish the reputations of the vast majority of Labour councillors who work hard for local people.

"It is vital that all officers and elected representatives take any action necessary to prevent any sorry saga like this from ever happening again."

The fallout from the report could also see disciplinary action taken against council employees, while the council has vowed to 'tighten up' procedures on land sales.

A top lawyer asked to review the report into the land deal allegations recommended that Mahboob Hussain be brought before a standards committee to explain his conduct, it has emerged.

James Goudie QC was commissioned by the authority to review the finished version of the Wragge report in order to determine what action the council should take regarding its findings.

It looked into the allegations concerning more than a dozen issues and focused on the role of the council's former deputy leader, Oldbury councillor Mr Hussain. Former economy boss Councillor Ian Jones was also investigated as part of the report in relation to his involvement in the sale of three public toilets.

In his report, the QC suggested Mr Hussain committed a number of breaches of the council's code of conduct.

These included the sale of three former council-owned public toilets for £35,000 to a friend of Mr Hussain, two days after a district valuer said they were worth £130,000.

Mr Hussain and Mr Jones both 'agreed to ignore' the valuation, said the QC, adding that 'the sale should not have gone ahead' due to the big discrepancy in price.

However he added that there was no evidence Mr Hussain 'obtained any advantage' and that Mr Jones had been 'reckless' but was a 'passive bystander'.

The QC said it was 'likely' that confidential information was shared by Mr Hussain with his son Azeem Hafeez – then a council employee – before Mr Hafeez submitted a bid for the former coroner's office in Crocketts Lane.

Mr Hafeez 'appeared to have done nothing' to declare his interest as an employee or Mr Hussain's son, which allegedly breached Section 117 of the Local Government Act 1972 and the council's Officer Code of Conduct and meant 'disciplinary action' was required. Mr Hussain is also said to have 'persuaded' the council to seek to a buy a strip of land on Clifford Road, which he knew was owned by his son.

The QC also commented on legal challenges to the publication of the report, after both Mr Hussain and Mr Jones questioned the validity of some of the report's findings.

In conclusion Mr Goudie said he agreed with the Wragge report that Councillor Hussain should be asked to appear before the council's standards committee to explain his conduct.

Three council officers, Adrian Scarrott, Pardip Sharma and Neeraj Sharma were also criticised in the report for failing in various aspects of their duties.

But the QC's report into Wragge's findings said the authority's focus should be on improvements to processes rather than any criticisms of senior officers.

The probe spans the period from 2011-13 and is centred on the council's former deputy leader Mr Hussain's involvement in the sales of a number of sites formerly owned by the council. He chaired the council committee in charge of selling off land deemed surplus to requirements.

Oldbury councillor Mr Hussain has continually denied any wrongdoing since the investigation was launched, but the Wragge report details a litany of members' breaches.

It comes after a bid to prevent its publication through a High Court injunction was thrown out by Mr Justice Ross Cranston yesterday morning.