A Liverpool Council cabinet member has today stepped down from his post over controversy linking him to a stalled development in the city.
Cllr Abdul Qadir has stepped down from his role as cabinet member for neighbourhoods as an investigation takes place. He maintains he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide.
An investigation by the ECHO found Cllr Abdul Qadir, the council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods, had links to a large stalled development scheme in Vauxhall through the Liverpool-based Vega Group, which owns MV Canal, the subsidiary company behind the scheme. Cllr Qadir has been a director of Vega Group company Vega Trading since September 2014.
Cllr Qadir was a member of a Liverpool Council taskforce - or task and finish group - set up to investigate buyer-funded property schemes in the city, also known as fractional sales. Fractional schemes, where buyers put down large deposits to finance off-plan apartment schemes, attracted huge controversy following the collapse of high profile projects.
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Cllr Qadir declared his interest in the Vega Trading Group and MV Canal on the council's register of interests. He said his role with Vega Trading had not conflicted with his role as a councillor on various committees including the fractional taskforce.
He said his sole role with the company was to oversee imports and exports. He said the MV Canal scheme on Vauxhall Road was not fractional. He told the ECHO: "There has been no conflict of interest with my current role as cabinet member for neighbourhoods."
But Opposition leader Cllr Richard Kemp, who served on the fractional taskforce, said he was "appalled" to learn Cllr Qadir was a director of a property company linked to a stalled site. Cllr Kemp has asked the Mayor and city solicitor to look at whether he should have declared an interest.
Earlier today, Mayor Joanne Anderson said both the Labour Party and the council were looking into the matter after an official complaint was made. Now Cllr Qadir has announced he will step aside from his position while an investigation takes place. It is not clear if he would intend to return to his post if cleared by that probe.
In a statement he said: "I believe that our city and its image are more important than any individual including myself. For me, our city and its residents will always be my highest priority and must be protected. In discussion with Mayor Joanne Anderson, I am taking a conscious decision to put the interest of our city and its residents ahead of my feelings, interest and my politics.
"Therefore I have decided to step aside as Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and allow for a full independent investigation to take its course without any influence or distraction. I will accept and abide by the outcomes or any recommendations from the investigation."
"This is not to say that I have done anything wrong or have anything to hide. All my decisions have been made in good faith. I have always been selfless in my role as an elected member with integrity, honesty and openness at the core of my dealings and have always worked to strengthen accountability and transparency in council decision-making."
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