The Sheriff of Nottingham is being investigated after questions were raised over his conduct.
Zafran Khan, who was elected as a Labour councillor for Wollaton West in 2019, currently holds the civic role.
The role exists to promote the city as a destination, and the Sheriff typically attends all manner of events to welcome visitors to the city.
Cllr Khan is the brother of the council’s leader, Neghat Khan.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request was submitted to the council in October last year, asking for correspondence relating to the repair or servicing of the Sheriff’s private and personally owned vehicle, and any “complaints or reports of the use of civic office for personal benefit”.
A spokesperson for the authority said it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter while it is being considered.
The statement from the council said issues of this nature will always be investigated “to understand the circumstances and decide whether any further action may be required”.
The request, which was submitted anonymously, asks for “correspondence related to the vehicle, copies of any correspondence (including but not limited to emails, letters, and internal communications) sent from or received by the Sheriff of Nottingham or held by Nottingham City Council from 1 April 2025 to date, relating to the Sheriff’s private (personally owned) vehicle – in particular, include any correspondence with Jaguar Land Rover, Land Rover UK, or other car dealers/manufacturers, or any other party about its repair or servicing”.
It further asks for “copies of any complaints, reports, investigations, or internal/external correspondence received or created by Nottingham City Council from 1 April 2025 to date relating to the Sheriff of Nottingham (or any civic office holder) allegedly obtaining or seeking free or discounted goods, services, or hospitality by using their civic office, regalia, or title”.
In a response to the request, the council said it had determined it was “not appropriate to confirm nor deny whether we hold the requested information”.
This, the response adds, is because confirming or denying whether the information is held “would itself prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs”.
A spokesperson said: “Any issues of this nature that are raised in relation to the conduct of councillors or employees will always be investigated by the council to understand the circumstances and decide whether any further action may be required.
“It would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter while it is still being considered.”
The council’s Labour leadership declined to comment further.
