Former Nottingham sheriff breached conduct rules over car discount and gifts
A report found that former Sheriff of Nottingham Zafran Khan breached council conduct rules by using his title when seeking a large discount on Land Rover repairs and accepting undeclared hospitality. The findings matter because councillors must declare qualifying gifts and hospitality and must not use their public position to seek personal advantages; Khan denies wrongdoing.
The report says repairs initially quoted at £30,000 were completed for about £7,500 after Khan emailed the dealership from his council account and signed off as Sheriff. It also cites free tickets to Tate McRae, Paw Patrol and Nottingham Panthers events, racecourse hospitality and attendance at The Ivy’s opening. Khan said he had not fully understood the rules and was too tired to remember his induction training; his legal team disputes the report’s accuracy.
- Report finds former Sheriff Zafran Khan breached council conduct rules.
- Land Rover repairs fell from £30,000 to about £7,500.
- Khan denies wrongdoing and says he did not fully understand the rules.
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Nottingham City Council is run by elected councillors, who also take on civic roles and are expected to follow a code of conduct. The Sheriff of Nottingham is a ceremonial council role, separate from the historic figure in the Robin Hood stories.
Councillors must declare certain gifts and hospitality, and cannot use their public role to seek personal benefits. These rules are intended to help maintain public trust and make potential conflicts of interest clear.
Zafran Khan was a Nottingham councillor and served as sheriff. He denies wrongdoing, and his legal team disputes the report’s accuracy.
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The case for
The report’s findings support the view that using the Sheriff title and council email while seeking a substantial personal discount risked trading on public office, while accepting hospitality without declaring it undermined transparency. Clear rules help councillors avoid conflicts of interest and maintain public trust, whether or not they intended to gain improper influence.
The case against
Khan denies wrongdoing, and his legal team disputes the report’s accuracy, so there is a case for treating its conclusions with caution until those challenges are properly considered. If he misunderstood the rules and did not knowingly use his office to obtain personal benefits, the episode may reflect inadequate understanding or training rather than deliberate misconduct.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Sheriff of Nottingham ‘abused position to get £20K discount on Land Rover repairs and free Paw Patrol tickets because he was too tired to remember hospitality rules training’”.