Council leader suspended by Tories after disciplinary

Councillor Mike Bird has been suspended from the Conservative Party

The leader of Walsall Council has been suspended by the Conservative Party.

Councillor Mike Bird told the BBC he plans to appeal against the three-month suspension, which follows a disciplinary investigation.

The Tories have said details of the probe, which has also seen Streetly councillor Suky Samra suspended, will remain confidential.

Councillor Bird has been the leader of the authority for three periods since 2009, including from May 2018 to now.

The Conservatives continue to control the council following the local elections on 2 May, in which they won 12 seats compared to five for Labour and three secured by Independent candidates.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party confirmed that two councillors had been suspended.

“Councillor Mike Bird and Councillor Suky Samra have been suspended from the Conservative Party following a disciplinary investigation. All decisions are subject to appeal.

“The Conservative Party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential.”

Councillor Samra has confirmed that he also intends to appeal against his suspension. He has been sitting as an independent since last year.

Party matter

A spokesperson for Walsall Council told the BBC that Mr Bird can remain as the leader of the authority during the suspension.

“This is a matter for the Conservative Party. According to the Local Government Act, actions taken by any political party do not exclude an elected member from continuing as a councillor.”

The leader of the Labour opposition group in Walsall, Councillor Matt Ward, is calling on Mike Bird to stand down until the investigation is resolved.

"The residents want the council to deal with the issues that are affecting their lives. This is another incident where attention is on something that it shouldn't be. It's up to the Conservative group to appoint a new leader, so the council can move on."

A source in the Conservative group told the BBC that selecting the leadership team was on the agenda for the Annual General Meeting later.