As reported by: The Telegraph
An inquiry has been launched after a property developer received a casino contract only weeks after donating £5,000 to a local Labour group.

The Standards Board for England, the local government watchdog, will investigate the Labour leader of Manchester city council, Richard Leese, and his deputy, Jim Battle, in response to a complaint from the Liberal Democrats.

A few weeks after Ask Property Developments donated £5,000 to the Manchester Central constituency Labour party an executive committee, led by the two councillors, awarded the firm a contract for a £260 million casino leisure complex in the city.

The local Liberal Democrats accept that Ask won the contract properly, on merit, but they believe that the two councillors broke the code of conduct by failing to declare the donation as an interest.

Ask said the Labour Party's policy had benefited the region and, along with other companies, it had "made donations to the party in order that they can continue their work".

The Standards Board will investigate three possible breaches of the councillors' code.