On Tuesday, The Daily Advertiser reported Mr Eldridge sat in on three council debates about whether to rezone 288 hectares of farmland at Gumly Gumly into housing lots his son had a financial stake in. 

Mr Eldridge repeatedly denied he had any knowledge of his son’s involvement and claimed ignorance absolved him of reporting requirements, but on Wednesday councillors pressured him to stand aside for five weeks while the matter is investigated.

Former mayor Peter Dale said the public “would reasonably expect Alan Eldridge would have known about his son’s involvement”.

“One would at least expect he’d be cautious and diligent, given he used to be in real estate himself,” he said.

Mr Dale said council staff should be well-versed in the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest. 

“The public expects their money is being properly managed without undue influence from external interests,” Mr Dale said.

“The declaration of interest is an absolute requirement with no soft edges.”

Another former mayor, Kevin Wales, said it was the responsibility of public office holders to proactively inquire into their relative’s business dealings to avoid the situation Mr Eldridge found himself in.

“Mr Eldridge has absolutely done the right thing by stepping down,” Mr Wales said.

“If you don’t declare your conflict of interest, there’s a strong chance someone against the development will question council’s integrity and you can’t have that.”

Former Wagga council general manager Brian Andrews said the Office of Local Government (OLG) should take charge of the investigation.

An OLG spokesman declined to publicly comment on “complaints or whether matters are under investigation”.

Council's workplace relations solicitors, WilliamsonBarwick, has recommended a former human resources manager with Canterbury City Council conduct the independent investigation.

WilliamsonBarwick is not the same firm of solicitors that provided legal advice to the general manager about his alleged conflict of interest.

The independent investigation is expected to be completed by the end of March.