Former mayor quits Labour group amid 'toxic' claim
Steve Wilson served as Hull's Lord Mayor for two years from 2019
- Published
A former lord mayor of Hull has quit the city council's Labour group, claiming he was working in a "toxic environment".
Councillor Steve Wilson, who held the ceremonial title from 2019 to 2021, announced on social media he was leaving the group.
He said he would continue to serve as an independent councillor.
Hull's Labour group said it respected Mr Wilson's "long service and dedication" in public office.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Wilson said: "Today I resigned the whip, I am no longer a Labour councillor but I am still a councillor.
"It became a toxic environment, but I'm free of it now."
The BBC has contacted Mr Wilson for further comment.
Mr Wilson was first elected onto Hull City Council in 1995, having previously served on the old Humberside County Council which preceded it.
He and his husband became the first same-sex couple to hold the titles of Hull's lord mayor and lord mayor consort when they took office in 2019.
Their provisional one-year term was extended to two when the Covid pandemic hit in 2020.
'Brilliant representative'
Mr Wilson announced in October that he would retire from the council after suffering a stroke, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said at the time.
In a statement, the Hull Labour group said: "The group respects the long service and dedication of Councillor Wilson and wish him all the best.
"He has been a brilliant representative of local people and is standing down as a councillor at the next election.
"He has overcome serious health issues recently and everyone in the group wishes him the best now and in his retirement as a councillor."
On Wednesday, the LDRS reported that another Hull Labour councillor, Marjorie Brabazon, had stood down, triggering a by-election in her seat.
The LDRS said there was "no indication that the two resignations are linked", though it understood there had been a rift between the group and Cllr Brabazon, who was first elected in 2014.
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