Portsmouth City Council leader criticised for accepting Christmas hamper from Portsmouth FC

Members of the council’s governance committee questioned the decision of Lib Dem Gerald Vernon-Jackson not to reject the gift or pass it onto charity and his failure to provide a value as the upmarket London store sells hampers costing as much as £6,000. Labour councillor Judith Smyth said councillors needed to set an example by providing full details of any gift they are offered.

‘I find it unacceptable that a corporate gift – this is not personal one – from the football club to the leader of the council has an unknown estimated value,’ she said. ‘They’re very, very expensive there [Fortnum and Mason]. I think it’s careless not to have found out how much it cost.

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‘It’s very easy to find out which one you have and how much the value is and I think it’s careless not to have done so.’

Committee chairman, and Lib Dem councillor, Leo Madden said it would have been ‘quite easy’ for a valuation to have been added to the register. Conservative councillor Scott Payter-Harris said he ‘shared Cllr Smyth’s disappointment’ and questioned whether the council’s leader would need to declare financial interests before any future decision relating to the football club is made.

Council solicitor Peter Baulf said: ‘Suffice to say information was provided. The advice given, however, is interpreted as a matter entirely for the leader. I’m not going to pursue him. It’s not for me to cross examine the leader.’

But he said he ‘believed’ an interest would now need to be declared, depending on the nature of any future decision, as a result of accepting the gift.

Cllr Vernon-Jackson said it was ‘a tiny hamper of a few sweets’ from club chairman Michael Eisner.

‘I made sure I correctly declared the gift but I did not look up its value and I have not done so since,’ he said. ‘If Mr Eisner puts in a planning application I will give some thought to whether I declare an interest.

‘It’s disappointing that none of these councillors bothered to call me to clarify the matter and instead have resorted to party political games between themselves.’