Three Labour councillors in Sandwell suspended for intimidating pensioner

Three Labour councillors in Sandwell have been suspended from the Labour Party for intimidating a pensioner in a public meeting.

Cllrs Ian and Olwen Jones and Cllr Bob Lloyd were found by a disciplinary hearing to have intimidated a pensioner at a meeting of the Wednesbury Celebrates community group last summer. Cllr Ian Jones has only recently been readmitted to the Labour group after the High Court ruled that his last suspension - related to allegations of corrupt practices at Sandwell - was unlawful.

The Jones' have been suspended for four months and Cllr Lloyd for three months. They will now get to experience life as a councillor outside of Labour's closed shop.

Deputy Leader of Sandwell Council and another Labour councillor resign over corruption allegations

The Deputy Leader of Sandwell Council, Mahboob Hussain, has resigned from his post and suspended himself from the Labour Party over continued allegations of impropriety relating over the sale of council properties. The cabinet member for regeneration, Ian Jones, has also resigned and suspended his membership of the Labour Party.

UKIP councillor Phillip Garrett and two other councillors asked for an investigation into the sale of the former HM Coroners Office in Smethwick to Mahboob Hussain's son for £80k which he then sold at auction seven months later for £120k.

Hussain also failed to declare that he and his wife between them owned half the shares in a taxi and minibus firm that was awarded a multi-million pound contract by Sandwell Council and accusations of vote rigging have also been made.

Sandwell is starting to look like another Tower Hamlets ...