A councillor has been removed from his posts after the local authority started legal action against him.

Raymond Singleton-McGuire, pictured below, was joint deputy leader at Boston Borough Council in Lincolnshire, and also finance portfolio holder.

In a statement, Boston Council said: “In the light of recent publicity Boston Borough Council wishes to clarify the situation regarding Mr Raymond Singleton-McGuire.

“The borough council and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue are both taking legal action against Mr Singleton-McGuire in his personal capacity for alleged breaches of housing legislation.

“Cllr Peter Bedford [the council leader] said his action in removing Cllr Singleton-McGuire from his posts as joint deputy leader and finance portfolio holder was good practice in pursuit of continued good governance.”

Singleton-McGuire set up SMG Property Co, which handles property lettings and management, in 1976. By 2003, according to one online profile, it had become Lincolnshire’s largest private sector landlord.

SMG Development Company started in 1987, and in 2005 Singleton-McGuire won the Daily Mail’s Best Builder of the Year Award.

A qualified aerobatic pilot, he is listed on the Boston Borough Council website as being a member of five parish councils as well as being on Boston Borough Council. He was previously also on the county council. He is also listed as being deputy leader of the Conservative Party at Boston Borough Council.

However, he has now said he will quit the party and see out the rest of his term on the borough council as an independent.

In a statement this week, he said: “My removal from post was a decision made by the leader of Boston Borough Council fuelled by various internal issues between the council and my own personal property business.”

The council has been running a Rogue Landlords initiative, and launched a confidential hotline in September where people could report concerns about rental property, landlords and letting agents.