A report indicates that Zafran Khan, a former Sheriff of Nottingham, leveraged his official status to obtain a £22,500 discount on car repairs. The investigation also highlighted several undeclared gifts and hospitality tickets that breached council rules.
The £22,500 Land Rover discount and the 'Sheriff' signature
According to the report published on the council's website, Zafran Khan used his official council email to contact a local Stratstone Land Rover dealership. After signing off as "The Sheriff of Nottingham," Khan saw the quoted cost for repairs to his vehicle drop from £30,000 to approximately £7,500. The investigation concluded that there was no legitimate reason for Zafran Khan to use his councillor email for this transaction, suggesting the title was used deliberately to gain a personal financial advantage.
This incident highlights a recurring tension in local governance where ceremonial titles are occasionally conflated with actual executive power. while the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham is primarily intended to promote the city as a tourist destination and welcome visitors, the Stratstone Land Rover dealership appears to have interpreted the title as a reason to provide a significant price reduction.
From Paw Patrol to the Nottingham Racecourse: The undeclared perks
The investigation, conducted by the legal firm Bevan Brittan, found that Zafran Khan accepted various complimentary tickets that violated the council's Code of Conduct. These perks included hospitality boxes at the Motorpoint Arena for events featuring singer Tate McRae, the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team, and a stage production of Paw Patrol. Under council rules, any gift or hospitality valued at £25 or more must be formally declared.
Beyond the arena, Zafran Khan also accepted undeclared hospitality visits to the Nottingham Racecourse. When questioned, Khan claimed the racecourse invited him to help attract more BME visitors to the venue. He further argued that the Motorpoint Arena tickets had a value of £0 because they were complimentary and cost the council—which owns the venue—nothing. However, the report noted that Zafran Khan was seated in a hospitality box with friends rather than performing a formal civic duty, making the "civic role" defense unlikely.
A 5 a.m. sleepless night and the 2019 induction training
In his defense, Zafran Khan claimed he did not fully understand the Code of Conduct due to extreme fatigue during his onboarding. As reported, Khan stated that following his election to represent the Wollaton West ward in May 2019, he stayed awake until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. immediately before his 9 a.m. induction training, leaving him too tired to remember the guidelines.
This defense attempts to frame the breaches as an accidental byproduct of poor timing rather than a systemic disregard for transparency. However, the report suggests that the act of signing off as "The Sheriff of Nottingham" to secure a five-figure discount is too specific to be an inadvertent error resulting from a lack of training.
What the Bevan Brittan report leaves for the Standards Committee
While the Bevan Brittan investigation found breaches regarding the use of position and disrepute, it cleared Zafran Khan of wrongdoing regarding his attempts to host the owner of Nottingham Forest. The report has not yet been reviewed by the Standards and Governance Committee, which will ultimately determine the consequences for the former Sheriff .
Several points remain contested or unclear. Zafran Khan's legal team has already signaled they will challenge the findings, arguing that the report contains factual and legal errors. Furthermore, it remains to be seen how the committee will weigh Khan's personal hardships—including the death of his uncle—against the documented use of his official email to secure the Stratstone Land Rover discount.
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