The leader of Kingston Council is at war with rival Liberal Democrats over contentious links to several redevelopment projects in the borough.

Councillor Kevin Davis tweeted a list of six past and present Liberal Democrat supporters, some who now work for and with property developers with planning applications in Kingston.

It includes former MP Edward Davey, ex-Kingston Council leader Roger Hayes and Michael Green, husband of current Lib Dem leader Liz Green.

The list is in response to a Lib Dem motion - blocked on legal grounds by Kingston Council - that called for Coun Davis to resign as leader or quit his role at PR company Cratus to avoid potential conflicts of interest with future developments.

The Lib Dems have now asked the mayor of Kingston to call an extraordinary meeting and debate the issue in public.

In the document, Coun Davis repeatedly stated that, like him, none of the people mentioned were doing anything wrong or illegal.

He said: "Everything in this document can be made to sound dodgy, but is it?

"What is clear is that Cllr Green and her Lib Dem colleagues in Kingston have many more questions to answer about their lack of transparency and openness on the issue of development in Kingston than those they defame by their inference of wrongdoing."

The Surrey Comet has contacted all six of the people named on the list.

They are:

Wyn Evans

Wyn Evans was a Liberal Democrat councillor between 1996 to 2002. He established corporate communications company Forty Shillings in 2011.

The company is currently working with developers St George, which is redeveloping the old Post Office site in Ashdown Road, Kingston.

Mr Evans said: “Forty Shillings work with property and development companies across the UK.

"I was a councillor in Kingston 13 years ago and am no longer involved in party politics in any capacity."

Rosie Day

Rosie Day worked as a political researcher in the then-Lib Dem council leader Derek Osbourne's office from 2009 to 2011. She is now communications manager for St George.

A spokesman for St George said: “Rosie Day is a full time employee of St George and has no other employment.”

Surrey Comet:

Roger Hayes (pictured right front at the Seething Wells homes planning hearing alongside Friends of Seething Wells campaigner Simon Tyrell)

Roger Hayes was Liberal Democrat leader of Kingston Council between 2002 to 2003. He stood down as leader to work for a communications company in London. He then stood down from the council the following year to pursue other business interests.

He remains an active Lib Dem member, working as an agent on several election campaigns, most notably the 2010 general election which saw Edward Davey re-elected as MP.

He is currently working with developers CNM Estates on the Tolworth Tower redevelopment.

Mr Hayes confirmed all of the above was true, adding that his time as a Kingston councillor did not overlap with any of his subsequent communications roles.

Michael Green

Husband of Liberal Democrat leader Liz Green, who has worked in policy, public affairs and political advice roles.

Works for Kingston Voluntary Action as community projects manager. Despite his wife being leader of Kingston Lib Dems, Mr Green is in fact a member of the Labour party.

Coun Davis said it was “hypocritical” of Cllr Green to imply that he had questions to ask about his links to Cratus, when “her own husband lobbyist works for a voluntary organisation presumably wishing to receive money from the council."

Mr Green said: “I can’t decide which I find more ridiculous, being called a Lib Dem despite being fully open about my Labour membership, or being referenced about a career I left years ago.”

Max Camplin

A former Lib Dem researcher and now managing director of Hard Hat, a public affairs company working on the redevelopment of the former Spillers building in New Malden.

He left his research job in 2007, and now lives in Hammersmith. He said he has no affiliation to any political party.

Edward Davey

Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton for the past 18 years, Ed Davey is seeking re-election for the fourth time on Thursday.

Coun Davis cited two property developers who had made political donations to Mr Davey - DCD Properties Ltd and Henley Homes. Both donations were declared on the Electoral Commission website.

Coun Davis also refered to an unnamed special advisor who donated "£10s of thousands of pounds [sic]" to Mr Davey "using money paid to him by UK taxpayers for his work inside the Department of Energy and Climate Change".

Mr Davey said Coun Davis had "shot himself in the foot" for publishing the list - because none of the people named are serving councillors.

Mr Davey said: "Roger Hayes stepped down because he recognised there may have been a conflict of interest with his work, which is the right thing to do.

“As an MP, I don’t have a planning role on Kingston Council. He [Coun Davis] is leader of the council, leader of the planning authority.”

“Irrelevant”

The special advisor is in fact another former Kingston Council leader, Chris Nicholson. He led the Lib Dem administration of the 1980s, and quit his job at auditing giant KPMG to join Mr Davey at DECC.

The Electoral Commission website shows he made two £5,000 donations to Mr Davey, one in October 2014 and another in January this year.

Mr Nicholson said: “He [Coun Davis] refers to Ed Davey’s special advisor at DECC having given tens of thousands of pounds, which is demonstrably untrue.

“He could have done a simple check and discovered that.

The fact I was a special advisor to Ed is irrelevant - the donations came from my savings.

"He is demeaning the office of council leader, and I say that as a former leader of the council."

Coun Green said: “There is a huge difference between ex-employees and former councillors lobbying in planning and what Coun Kevin Davis is doing. "He is a serving councillor. He is leader of the council and is also employed as a planning lobbyist.

“I am calling on the mayor to call an extraordinary meeting of the council in order to have the debate. "All along, I have said it is important the public perception of probity in planning decision-making is critical to ensure the planning system is effective and retains the confidence of all users.”

The debate is likely to hinge on whether it is right for Coun Davis, as an elected representative, to hold a position within a company that lobbies on behalf of property developers.

Cratus announced it was pulling out of contracts in Kingston after Coun Davies decided to stand for election to the council in 2014.

The mayor has until Friday to consider the proposal and find a date for the meeting. If after the seven days he has not done so, the Lib Dems can call the meeting by providing five signatories.