The Sunday Mail reported that it was given a 2023 tape of Dowey, in which he calls council officers “useless” and boasts that “all the top ones I can sack”.

The Conservative councillor also appears to promise help to secure multi-million pound demolition jobs - including work at Ayr’s fire-damaged Station Hotel, BBC News reports. 

Councillor Dowey said he had “acted properly at all times” and requested a full investigation to “clear this up”.

He said: “As a former police officer, I respect the law and follow the rules at all times. I reported this situation to the authorities when it occurred, and the company in question has not received any money from the council.”

The councillor was spent 25 years as a police officer in Ayrshire before his election in 2017. He was also a general election candidate for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock and is married to Scottish Tory MSP Sharon Dowey.

He added: “I have decided to step aside temporarily as leader to prevent this becoming a distraction from important local issues. “I would welcome a further detailed investigation to fully clear this up.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson commented: “We are in receipt of correspondence, and it is currently being assessed.”