THE COUNTY council is to consider whether it should sue disgraced former leader Lord Hanningfield.

Details of thousands of transactions made by the Tory peer during his time as Essex County Council leader were released by the authority last month, after police announced they were dropping a fraud investigation.

The files revealed he had spent nearly £300,000 on his council credit card between 2005 and 2010 - including thousands of pounds on flights to Sri Lanka, China and the Bahamas.

The council's audit committee yesterday called for officials to compile a report considering the issue of taking civil proceedings against Hanningfield.

The report's recommendations will be discussed by the executive and used to decide whether to pursue further action.

Councillors also recommended an examination of the council's own role in its corporate governance procedures.

Hanningfield, who led the council from 2001 to 2010, was jailed last year for falsifying his parliamentary expenses.

He served nine weeks of a nine-month sentence and repaid £28,000 of expenses before being allowed to return to Parliament.

A report considered at yesterday's meeting at County Hall revealed officers had worked with Hanningfield to 'agree a way forward' following the release of an internal audit report in 2008 - but their advice was not heeded by the peer.

It said: "At this point, the issues mainly related to a lack of receipts and other information to establish if the expenditure was genuinely related to ECC.

"We had every expectation that Lord Hanningfield would take heed of officers' advice. 

"In the follow-up audits of 2009, it became apparent that the issues were more serious and our previous advice had not been followed."

The county council referred Hanningfield's credit card use to Essex Police shortly before his trial in May 2011, but the police announced they would take no further action in November.

Speaking after the police announcement, council leader Peter Martin said: "I am pleased that the police investigation is now closed and we are now able to move on.

"Lord Hanningfield was obviously a large part of the authority for a number of years but it is three years since he stepped down as leader and a lot has changed since then.

"It is now time to look forward rather than look back.

"Looking ahead, it is important that the steps taken to establish good governance at the council are supported on an ongoing basis and the audit committee clearly has an important role to play in this regard.”

Lord Hanningfield's spend on his Essex County Council credit card included:

  • £3,449.64 on flights to Sri Lanka
  • £4,614.48 on flights to China
  • £5,266 on flights to a business event in India
  • £4,400.20 on flights to the USA
  • £5,652.84 on flights to the Bahamas
  • Nearly £50 on travel books about Uganda at Waterstones in Chelmsford and £1,800 on accommodation in the country
  • £42.94 on a single breakfast at the Little Chef in Wisley South, near Guildford
  • £71.75 on post-meeting refreshments in Selfridges' London restaurant