Wragge Report reveals shocking Sandwell Council land deals - but former deputy leader says he is the victim of a 'witch hunt'

The long-awaited Wragge report revealed a series of council code of conduct breaches by Mr Hussain.

He demanded parking tickets issued to members of his family be quashed or reduced. And he is also said to have 'bullied and coerced' a council officer 'over a long period of time', while some council officers failed to address or report concerns of harassment.

The report – published alongside a QC's report – advises that Mr Hussain should now be hauled in front of the council's standards committee to explain his conduct.

It comes after Sandwell Council won a High Court ruling to publish the report yesterday following attempts to have it blocked.

The council's chief executive Jan Britton said: "The publication of both reports shows the absolute determination of Sandwell Council to deal with these allegations properly, professionally and appropriately.

"It shows our commitment to investigate the allegations and to deal with them in accordance with the council's codes of conduct for members and officers, and all of the council's standing orders.

"It also shows we have not swept matters under the carpet and that there was absolutely no wish to do so.

"The next step is for a referral to the council's standards committee, which considers the conduct of elected councillors and deals with allegations of misconduct."

Defiant Mr Hussain today described the report as 'lies, lies, lies' and insisted he had been the victim of 'a political witch hunt'.

He told the Express & Star: "Certain people have been after my blood. This report is one person's opinion and I believe his opinion is wrong. The results are seriously tainted. I am not going to sit back and take this and will fight this to the end." Councillor Ian Jones was also investigated for his role in the sale of three public toilet blocks, although the report said he had no case to answer. He said: "I am pleased to see that I have been vindicated of any wrongdoing.

"I should add that I do not agree with all the factual findings in the Wragge report and have already identified to the council the areas where the evidence appears to have been misinterpreted or misunderstood."

The report by law firm Wragge & Co (now Gowling WLG) was commissioned by former council leader the late Darren Cooper in October 2014. The vast majority of Wragge's findings have been upheld in a separate report by James Goudie QC, who advised publication of the probe was 'strongly in the public interest'.

See the full Sandwell Council Wragge Report here

The report, which is said to have cost in excess of £250,000, details a series of investigations into Mr Hussain's conduct and focuses on his involvement in the sale of council land between 2011 and 2013. At the time he was chairman of the authority's asset land and disposal committee, on which Mr Jones also sat. It found that Mr Hussain and Mr Jones 'agreed to ignore' a £130,000 valuation by a district valuer for three public toilet blocks. Two days later they were sold as a job lot for £35,000 to one of Mr Hussain's friends.

Mr Hussain gave evidence that he did not know who was buying the toilet blocks and he was not aware of the price. Mr Jones gave evidence saying he did not know the relationship between Mr Hussain and the buyer. The QC said there was no misconduct issue for Mr Jones.

The report concluded there was no evidence Mr Hussain obtained any personal advantage or would have acted differently if the other parties in the deal had not been known to him.

The sale of the Crocketts Lane Coroner's Office and 215 High Street in Smethwick also came under the spotlight. The report says Mr Hussain was 'likely' to have passed on confidential information regarding the sale of these plots to his son, Azeem Hafeez.

Mr Hafeez, who was employed by the council at the time, is said to have put in a bid for the site the day before it was advertised for sale. The report says this was 'at best a curious coincidence'. The Wragge report also found Mr Hussain 'crossed the line between political oversight and day-to-day management of housing allocation funds'.

Speaking to the Express & Star Labour's deputy leader and MP for West Bromwich East Tom Watson said he was 'deeply shocked' at the contents of the report.