A BOURNEMOUTH MP has raised the issue of the town's controversial casino contract in Parliament and urged: "Don't let the scandal happen again."

Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, told the House of Commons the law needed to be changed to prevent councils from making key decisions during local election campaigns.

He said he wanted to prevent any repeat of the controversy in Bournemouth last year, when it emerged that the Pavilion contract between Bournemouth council and Trevor Osborne was signed on polling day.

But Adrian Fudge, the former councillor in charge of resources, has hit back, pointing out the contract may have been signed on election day but the decision to sign it was made in February - three months before the election.

He also argued Bournemouth's decision to bid for a large casino licence had cross-party support and never became particularly controversial until the election campaign.

After a comprehensive victory at the 2007 elections, the Conservatives reopened negotiations with Trevor Osborne and eventually approved an amended scheme.

Mr Ellwood said he launched his private member's bill because, although a council inquiry found no legal wrong-doing, he was convinced the previous Liberal Democrat administration had behaved immorally.

He said: "It was a great opportunity to place on record what had happened in Bournemouth and warn other authorities around the country that, unless they introduce their own policies on preventing controversial and large-scale financial decisions during local elections, they too could go through the pain and the drama that Bournemouth has endured.

"Legally the Liberal Democrats did nothing wrong. Morally and ethically, I believe they were guilty as charged. To deliberately burden a town with a development that they didn't want I believe is shocking."

But Mr Fudge said the Tories had twisted the issue to ensure they had "the best of both worlds".

"They end up with massive private investment in the Pavilion yet won the election by saying they were against it," he said. "I still believe that what we have got is the best possible outcome for Bournemouth and I will always stand by that."