Covid: Luton lockdown breach councillors avoid formal sanction

Labour councillors Waheed Akbar, Asif Masood and Tahir Malik apologised for their lockdown breach

Three "ill-advised" councillors who broke lockdown rules have avoided sanction after a complaints panel said it lacked the power to do so.

Luton mayor Tahir Malik was pictured at a prayer meeting in July, with borough councillors Asif Masood and Waheed Akbar.

Hundreds of complaints were lodged with Luton Borough Council.

Its adjudication panel said it could only take action on a breach of code of conduct in an official capacity.

The three men, all Labour councillors, had been in a private garden in the Bedfordshire town with others but were not representing the council at the time, it added.

"We fully appreciate that this decision will cause concern and anger on this issue in our communities," said a panel statement seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We're in unanimous agreement the actions of the councillors were ill-advised, caused distress, broke trust in our communities, and brought themselves and the council into disrepute."

It added that it felt "very strongly" that the councillors should voluntarily make a donation to a local charity of at least one month's allowance and keep up to date with, and adhere to, Covid-19 guidance.

There were over 100 complaints, as well as a petition signed by more than 6,000 individuals asking for the Luton mayor and the other two councillors to resign.

At the time, Luton was on a government watch list of 10 districts due to its relatively high coronavirus infection rate, with the LU4 postcode area where the men met recording the highest infection rate in the town.

All three men apologised for the breach and Mr Malik resigned as mayor.