A HAMPSHIRE council has been savaged over its unlawful handling of a £150 million development, with an independent investigator telling civic chiefs: “Winchester deserves better”.

Report author, solicitor Claer Lloyd-Jones, a housing expert, was hired by Winchester City Council to review its approach to the Silver Hill project.

Council leader Stephen Godfrey has hit back robustly at the findings.

He accused Ms Lloyd-Jones of offering “unsubstantiated opinions and inaccuracies”.

It comes days after the council walked away from its development partner and vowed to start the scheme again.

Ms Lloyd-Jones was appointed last year to review decisions which led to a High Court ruling that the council breached EU law.

The judicial review launched by rebel Tory councillor Kim Gottlieb found the council should have invited bids from other developers for the project in 2004 and 2014.

Ms Lloyd-Jones said it was “obvious” as early as 2007 that the scheme would be challenged and that the council could have avoided defeat in the High Court.

“Losing the JR (judicial review) has vindicated the views held by some that the council doesn’t listen to its citizens and that Winchester deserves better,” she said.

Council chiefs dispute suggestions that they followed advice they “wanted to hear” or failed to weigh up risks.

They also believe that Ms Lloyd-Jones accepted objectors’ versions of events without asking for a response from the council.

Counservative leader Cllr Stephen Godfrey said: “I am disappointed with the main body of the report.

"It contains unsubstantiated opinions and inaccuracies and little reference to the many reports, documents and interviews that apparently informed the report.”

Ms Lloyd-Jones denied that her report contained such errors.

In her 13 recommendations, she called for the council to rewrite its constitution, “reassess the skills” of officers, rebuild public trust and ensure its vision for the scheme is protected.

The report was welcomed by Cllr Gottlieb, leader of the Winchester Deserves Better campaign, which says the city faces disaster due to the scheme.

He said: “The council will need resolve and leadership, potentially new leadership, to absorb Ms Lloyd-Jones’s findings and to bring about the significant changes that are now made inevitable.”

Ms Lloyd-Jones will face questions from councillors when she presents her report on Wednesday.