Councillors were asked to honour a former deputy leader who accepted 514 gifts and hospitality within a year, including from companies seeking to progress planning applications.
Robert Davis resigned from the council in disgrace in 2018 after being found to have been entertained by dozens of planning applicants who had cases determined by the planning committee he chaired for 17 years.
However councillors were approached this summer to approve his nomination for the title of honorary alderman, a symbolic role conferred on those who have given ’eminent service’ to the council.
Labour said it would not support Mr Davis’ appointment, which requires the backing of two thirds of councillors.
Mr Davis, now 68, served for 36 years as a councillor and later administration cabinet member, but was forced to step aside after a QC investigation found he had accepted an ‘extraordinary’ amount of hospitality, including some which may have ‘placed him in a position in which people might seek to influence him in the performance of his duties’.
Gifts pocketed by the Conservative included a silver trowel from a developer to whom his committee granted permission to build 650 luxury apartments. He was also invited to meals in fine restaurants, both in London and in the south of France.
His register showed he had accepted some 900 gifts within six years, including 514 favours in 2015 alone.
The former councillor was also wined and dined by several prominent property develops including Sir Gerald Ronson and Sir George Iacobescu, and made several overseas trips, including to theatre owner Andrew Lloyd Webber’s home in Mallorca.
While Mr Davis’ conduct was not found to have been unlawful, his behaviour was deemed a ‘prima facie’ breach of the council’s code of conduct.
Mr Davis stepped back from his planning role in 2017, before further resigning as a councillor the year later, stating he wanted to ‘draw a line’ under the matter.
Honorary aldermen are permitted to attend and take part in civic events, but are not allowed to attend council meetings or exercise voting rights.
Labour sources told WT that they were approached by the Conservative administration in July to back the appointment of five former councillors as honorary aldermen, including Mr Davis.
Conservatives allegedly offered to support the honouring of former Labour councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, who stepped down before the election this year, in exchange for Labour agreeing to confer the title on Mr Davis, during a special meeting originally slated for Wednesday night.
However no special meeting to appointment alderman went ahead last night, after senior Labour council chiefs indicated the party would not support honouring Mr Davis.
Asked in the chamber whether they believed Mr Davis had given ’eminent service’ to the city, at least one Conservative member said yes.
Addressing full council last night, Labour councillor Geoff Barraclough said: ‘Imagine our astonishment when eight years later the Conservative leadership asked us to join them in making Robert Davis an honorary alderman for the City of Westminster. According to the Local Government Act we should reserve that honour for those who have rendered eminent services to this council.’
He said that while steps had been taken by then council leader and future MP Nickie Aiken to clear up perceived corruption in the planning process, Conservatives had removed a line from a Labour motion pledging to not to repeat past mistakes.
‘Reputations take years to build and moments to lose’, Cllr Barraclough added.
‘Honouring Robert Davis would send precisely the wrong message. We will not support it.’
WT has contacted Westminster Conservatives for comment.