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.

West Midlands Police investigating Sandwell councillors

Sandwell Council has referred a damning report into the conduct of some of its councillors to West Midlands Police's Regional Organised Crime Unit.

UKIP councillors have been pushing for investigations into dodgy dealings at Sandwell for some time. The Deputy Leader of the council and cabinet member for regeneration resigned in 2015 over allegations of wrongdoing relating to the sale of council property. The Deputy Leader failed to declare a financial interest in a company that got a large council contract, sold a council-owned property to his son on the cheap and then allegations of vote rigging were made.

Allegations of conspiracy to defraud and misconduct in public office are being investigated by the police.

Oh, the irony ...

Sandwell and Castle Point racing to open first UKIP social club

The Sandwell and Castle Point branches of UKIP are battling each other to open the first UKIP social club in the country.

UKIP Castle Point announced two days ago that they were in talks to open their social club whilst Sandwell Young Independence tweeted today that theirs was about to open any day now. The signs are already up in Sandwell so it looks like they might just pip Castle Point to the post!

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 ...

UKIP councillor calls for investigation into Sandwell Council asset sale

UKIP Sandwell councillor Philip Garrett has asked for an investigation into the sale of a council-owed HM Coroner's office to the son of the council's Asset Management and Land Disposal Committee chairman.

Labour councillor, Mahboob Hussain, chairs the committee which approved recommendations by council officers to sell the HM Coroner's office in Smethwick. It was sold to Hussain's son for £80k and was sold at auction seven months later for £120k.

Cllr Garrett and two former councillors (independent socialist and Conservative) have asked for the investigation into whether the council got the best value from selling the building to Azeen Hafeez.