Leaders clash over Burnley councillor Lubna Khan after she fails to properly declare financial interests

The councillor has now been named as the council’s executive member for economy and growth, Coun. Lubna Khan.

Labour group leader Coun. Mark Townsend first raised the issue at a Full Council meeting last year during a debate on a report from the Audit and Standards Committee.

Coun. Townsend referred to a separate report published in November, which said that after a complaint was made in September 2024 about an unnamed councillor’s register of interests, an investigation upheld five out of eight allegations.

The report added: “The member has rectified the situation and apologised.”

At the time, the councillor was not named, and Coun. Townsend said he was prevented from making the identity public, despite being the complainant. He said this left the council’s other 44 elected members under suspicion.

Speaking in the council chamber at Burnley Town Hall, he said the upheld complaints involved “significant financial interests amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds”.

However, council leader Coun. Afrasiab Anwar responded saying there was “no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing, fraud or corruption” and that the issues were corrected once they were identified.

The leader of Burnley Independents Group also accused Coun. Townsend of excluding key details from his Freedom of Information request.

After challenging the ruling that he could not disclose the councillor’s identity, Coun. Townsend has now publicly named Bank Hall ward’s Coun. Khan. Her register of financial interests now declares Curantis Healthcare Ltd, 2 Queen Victoria Road, and Curae Care Ltd.

Coun. Townsend, who later in December publicly identified himself as the subject of an upheld complaint over his behaviour towards a staff member, posted on Facebook:

“It can now be revealed that Coun. Lubna Khan, Executive Member for Economy and Growth is the councillor who recklessly failed to register her financial and other interests accurately and in full.

“After months of trying to keep the identity of the councillor who breached the council’s Code of Conduct a secret the name was finally released after an appeal against a council decision TO NOT release the details under a freedom of information request.

“The cloud of suspicion is now lifted from the other 44 Burnley Councillors.

“It is 16 months since the complaint was submitted to the council. It is six months since a formal investigation was completed and found that five of the eight accusations against Coun. Khan had been upheld. There has been no public explanation or apology regarding this matter from Cllr Khan.

“Only the council leader can appoint or remove individual councillors to the decision-making council executive.

"The questions now are:

“1. Why does Coun. Khan, one of the five councillors who make up the all-powerful decision making council executive, retain her appointment as executive member for economy and growth?

“2. When did the council leader become aware of the serious accusations against councillor Khan and what, if any, steps did he take to protect the council and executive reputation?

“3. Does Coun. Khan still retain the confidence of the council leader?”

Coun. Khan said: “As per the council’s findings and the independent person's, nothing has been done to bring the council into disrepute.”

Burnley Council leader Coun. Afrasaib Anwar said: “I was sent a copy of the FOI response this morning that was released by the council on Friday to Coun. Townsend.

“Unsurprisingly, Coun. Townsend has conveniently decided to exclude key information from that disclosure to pedal his usual sensationalised narrative on social media.

“Does the fact that the FOI response stated “there is no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing, fraud or corruption, and the issues were corrected once identified.

“The investigating officer found no intention to mislead, and the monitoring officer resolved the matter by local resolution, not sanction or hearing not suit his narrative?

“Why has he also deliberately excluded publishing the full FOI disclosure?

“Coun. Townsend is clearly aware that the conduct of elected members is overseen by the council’s monitoring officer with oversight from the council’s Audit and Standards Committee.

“I am not privy to the monitoring officer’s report due to data protection requirements. Any sanctions are determined by the Standards Panel or the monitoring officer, not the Leader. There was no recommendation to the leader. It appears that the breach was considered minor, and therefore an apology was considered appropriate.”

“Perhaps Coun. Townsend can explain his behaviour after last months special executive meeting when it is alleged that he swore at the scrutiny chair in the presence of another labour group member.

“Another incident when he could not control his anger. I ask whether he continues to retain the confidence of the Labour group? Is he going to self-report himself to the monitoring officer for his alleged conduct again? Did his fellow Labour group member not consider reporting Coun. Townsend’s alleged conduct?”