Council leader quits amid Labour Party suspension

Joe Baker became Labour leader of Redditch Borough Council in May 2024, following the local elections

The Labour leader of Redditch Borough Council has resigned after being suspended by his party.

Councillor Joe Baker, who had led the council for 11 months, stepped down on Friday, citing personal reasons.

A West Midlands Labour party spokesperson confirmed he had been suspended, but would not comment further on the matter. Baker is now sitting as an independent councillor.

Another Labour councillor, Sharon Harvey, will serve as interim council leader until Redditch's annual council meeting on 19 May.

"As you can appreciate, I have no comments at this time," Baker said, after being contacted by the BBC about his suspension.

First elected in 2012, he is currently serving his fourth term as a borough councillor.

He became leader of the council in May last year, after Labour took control of Redditch in the local elections.

Following his suspension by Labour – which is also understood to have taken place on Friday - he is now sitting as an independent councillor for Batchley and Brockhill ward.

The party would not comment on how long the suspension would last.

In an email to all councillors on Friday, the council confirmed Baker had resigned his position "due to personal circumstances". But it referred all queries to Redditch Labour Party.

"In the interim Sharon Harvey will be stepping into the role, as per the constitution, until a new leader is elected at the Annual Council Meeting," the email stated.