Harrow Council’s opposition group leader is being investigated by police for allegedly failing to declare a personal interest before a debate.

Cllr Susan Hall, the Conservative group leader, was reported to the Met last month after she presented a petition during a full council meeting on February 25 calling for plans to move the Civic Centre to Wealdstone to be stopped.

She then took part in the subsequent debate.

However, the Hatch End representative has now been accused of failing to follow council rules as it is claimed she did not declare she owns a business in the area, which means Cllr Hall should have been removed from the discussion.

The complaint is now being investigated by the MPS Special Enquiry Team.

Cllr Hall denies any wrongdoing and claims her interest was declared appropriately.

She said: "My interest was declared at the council meeting of February 25, a fact which is clearly recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

"Over 4,000 people have signed a petition against the Labour plan to knock down several major buildings and forcibly relocate the Civic Centre.

"This affects residents across two wards, with potential repercussions across the whole borough, not to mention hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs.

"The deep unhappiness with the anti-business agenda of the Labour Party in Harrow was clear with nearly 100 employees from one business alone coming to the council meeting to protest.

"I am a hard working councillor who will always fight for Harrow's residents and against the Labour Party's anti-business agenda."

At the meeting on February 25, during which the administration's draft budget was also discussed and approved, other councillors raised a concern that Cllr Hall should have excused herself from the debate and were advised by the authority's lawyer that the matter would have to be reported to and investigated by the police.

In response to the police investigation Gary Martin, branch secretary for Harrow UNISON, said no elected politician should be able to flout the rules.

He said: "As a public sector trade union, Harrow UNISON expects all Harrow councillors to comply with the council's rules, standards and procedures when representing Harrow residents and to comply with the national rules for councillors contained within the Localism Act (2011).

"We do not expect councillor's to enact double standards or to flout the rules as and when it suits them so that they, potentially, may pursue their own personal interests.

"We expect better of our elected politicians and Harrow UNISON will take full part in the investigation, if required."