Robert Davis’s decision comes after Guardian reveals he was entertained more than 500 times in three years

Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster city council, has referred himself to the authority’s monitoring officer following the Guardian’s revelations that he was entertained more than 500 times in three years, including 150 times by property industry figures.

The Conservative councillor was chair of Westminster’s powerful planning committee for 16 years and the extent of his entertainment by property developers and their agents sparked Labour claims of a “broken culture” at the council.

Westminster councillor received gifts and hospitality 514 times in three years Read more

Davis’s decision came as it emerged he also received hospitality or gifts worth over £25 on a further 379 occasions, bringing the number to 893 over six years. It means that he received hospitality and gifts worth at least £22,000, although it is likely to be several times higher.

Hospitality he received before 2015 included tickets to Wimbledon finals day, lunches at Chiltern Firehouse and the Ritz, and expenses-paid trips to the south of France. He accepted a two-night stay at a London hotel over New Year’s Eve 2012 and later a night at the luxury Corinthia hotel by Whitehall, less than four miles from his home in Maida Vale. Property consultant Jonathan Harris, who likes to be referred to as “Mr Monopoly”, took Davis to Queens Club for the tennis championships and lunch.

“I have decided to refer myself to the authority’s monitoring officer,” Davis said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am absolutely clear I have not broken any rules, but given recent attention I believe this is the right step to take so that can be shown to be the case, and to reassure residents of this.

“Throughout my 36 years at Westminster city council, I have had only one aim; to serve the people of Westminster. I have always been scrupulously open in my register of interests precisely to ensure transparency.”

On Tuesday local residents voiced anger at the extent of his gifts and hospitality register.

“How can we trust our elected representatives when they are accepting such regular and lavish entertainment from developers?” said Sophia Massey-Cook, a member of the south-east Bayswater residents’ association.

Monitoring officers are charged with ensuring good governance, including adherence to council constitutions and codes of conduct. The Westminster city council code of conduct instructs members “not to place themselves under a financial or other obligation to any individual or organisation that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties”.

Sir Alistair Graham, a former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, had urged the leader of Westminster council, Nickie Aiken, to investigate whether the hospitality was warranted and whether any of it was linked to planning decisions while Davis was chair of the borough’s powerful planning committee.



Graham spoke out after it emerged that Davis has been treated to 296 free meals, 60 theatre trips and nine foreign trips as part of his work from 2015 to today. People who entertained him included several major property developers active in Westminster, as well as theatre and hotel operators. Davis was chair of the planning committee from 2000 to 2017 and his responsibilities now include policy on theatres.

Westminster city council said that given the area was a target for developers “it is hardly surprising that the chair of planning … undertakes a large number of meetings”. It said: “The idea that any councillor has been bought by the property lobby is demonstrably untrue”.

Davis said the “sole purpose [of the meetings] was to ensure and encourage the right kind of development in Westminster and ensure that anything put before the council was going to benefit the city as a whole”.

However, Davis’s successor in the role, Richard Beddoe, also a Conservative, has registered only three instances of gifts or hospitality since he took over at the start of 2017. During the last 12 months of Davis’s time in that job, he accepted gifts and hospitality on 163 occasions.

“It raises issues as far as the reputation of the council is concerned,” said Graham. “It would be in the best interests for the leader of the council to carry out an investigation. She would need to ask what were the reasons for accepting this scale of hospitality and was any of it linked to planning decisions ...

“There has been a more general worry that there is no longer the supervision of ethical standards in local government because the independent standards board was abolished by Eric Pickles.”

The standards board was abolished when the then communities secretary concluded that regulation by a central quango “was inconsistent with the principles of localism” and it had become “a vehicle for vexatious or politically motivated complaints”.

After the Guardian revealed the scale of the hospitality Davis received he insisted that it was “an important part of my job to meet developers”. He said the meetings were all declared and “open to anyone to examine”.

However, Labour has raised concerns that under Davis’s last three years as planning chair, only 12% of the new homes built were classed as “affordable”.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Westminster said it was on course to deliver 1,850 affordable homes in the next five years.

“The entire thrust of the council’s efforts is towards ensuring everyone gets the opportunity to live in the borough. Nickie Aiken, leader of the council, has made it clear to developers that if you build in Westminster, you build for Westminster residents.”

Over six years Davis was entertained 30 times at the expense of the Westminster Property Association.

Rosie Day, assistant director at the Westminster Property Association, said: “It is only right and proper that the association, as a not-for-profit membership trade body representing more than 250 property companies, works closely with policymakers in the best interests of the communities in which our members operate.

“We support a busy calendar of events and conferences to ensure there is ongoing dialogue between industry and policymakers at local, regional and national government, to find solutions to mutual challenges – such as how to deliver more homes, affordable housing, employment space and jobs in central London.”