A council leader who failed to declare his involvement with the company behind the city's busiest GP surgery for two years will not be penalised.

Mike Stonard, leader of Norwich City Council, has been accused of failing to be open and honest in his role after gaps were found in his register of interests. 

Mr Stonard held senior positions at One Norwich Practices, the organisation in charge of Norwich's NHS walk-in centre and other services, between November 2021 and November 2023 - stepping down shortly after the company went bust. 

However, these roles, including more than a year as financial director, do not appear on his register of interests until October 2023. 

Green party councillor Lucy Galvin has said there is "no excuse" for the failure to make this involvement open to the public. 

She said: "It's a conflict of interest - transparency is absolutely critical in this role. 

"It's very important that councillors abide by the code of conduct, especially if they are in a leadership role."

Norwich Evening News: North Norfolk Primary Care, an alliance of GP practices, has been awarded a contract for the centre on Rouen RoadNorth Norfolk Primary Care, an alliance of GP practices, has been awarded a contract for the centre on Rouen Road (Image: Denise Bradley)READ MORE: Critics accused of 'cynical last dig' at Anglia Square developers

One Norwich Practices, which provided vulnerable adults services and the GP surgery in Rouen House, announced in October it would be closing down, leaving health bosses scrambling to find a replacement provider for its services.

The government has been urged to investigate what went wrong at the company.

Norwich Evening News: City councillor Lucy GalvinCity councillor Lucy Galvin (Image: Submitted)Ms Galvin said: "We need to be able to trust that politicians are acting in the interests of residents and not because of vested interests.

"An important part of creating this trust is to ensure they are open and declare interests publicly. Mike Stonard failed to do this."

A representative for Norwich City Council said Mr Stonard's register of interests was updated last year and "the matter was addressed", with no disciplinary action taken. 

Mr Stonard said: "In October 2023 I was made aware that I had not updated my register of interests.

"This was a genuine oversight for which I apologised and corrected. I had twice declared an interest in One Norwich Practices when these matters were discussed in meetings."