Brighton councillors step down after residency row

The two women were elected to represent wards on Brighton & Hove City Council in May last year

Two Brighton councillors expelled by the Labour Party amid claims they did not live in the city have resigned from the local authority.

Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar had been facing calls to step down from the council after they were removed from the Labour group in December.

Brighton & Hove City Council said both women “have confirmed to us that they are resigning from their posts with immediate effect”.

Ms Mistry and Ms Gajjar have been approached for a comment.

The councillors were elected to represent Queen's Park and Kemptown wards respectively in the May elections in 2023.

In December, both women had their memberships of the Labour Party cancelled after what the party said was a “thorough internal investigation”.

It called on both women, who were continuing as independents, to stand down from the council, so that by-elections could take place “and the communities… can be properly represented”.

In January, Ms Mistry said she continued to be "a proud resident” of Brighton, maintained “an unwavering commitment to integrity” and was unsure where the claims had come from.

Following news of their resignations, council leader Bella Sankey said she was "overjoyed" the two women had "finally decided to do the right thing".

"The people of Queen's Park and Kemptown can now elect new councillors that will listen to their needs and serve them properly," she added.

The council said it was making arrangements to publish official notices of the vacancies and would announce by-election dates when they were available.