Brighton: Tories join calls for scandal councillor resignations

Kemptown councillor Bharti Gajjar and Queen’s Park councillor Chandni Mistry have been kicked out of Labour after an investigation into claims they lived outside of the city.

The pair continue to sit on Brighton and Hove City Council as independents.

To be a councillor, you need to be registered to vote in the area or have lived, worked or owned property there for at least 12 months before an election.

Cllr Mistry denied allegations that she does not live in the city and told The Argus she lives in “the heart of Brighton”.

Conservative group leader Alistair McNair and Brighton and Hove Independents founder Bridget Fishleigh have now joined calls for the two councillors to resign.

Should the councillors stand down, a by-election would be called in their ward to elect a new representative.

Councillor McNair, leader of the Conservative group, has criticised Labour's vetting processes

Cllr McNair said that residents had been “let down” and that they “deserve councillors who work for them on a daily basis”.

He said: “Having allegedly been voted in on false pretences, residents deserve the opportunity to elect candidates who will work hard for them, and who actually live or work in the city they represent so they understand the needs of local people and are on hand to help.

“Labour should ensure it vets candidates effectively as the suspension of these candidates will, unfortunately, undermine residents’ trust in all politicians, will create confusion and potential hardship for residents and may lead to costly by-elections which the local authority, ultimately residents, will have to pay for and can ill afford.”

The expulsion of the two councillors comes after a number of Labour councillors elected at the 2019 local election were suspended or quit the party over allegations of anti-Semitism. The suspensions prompted the collapse of the minority Labour administration, with the Greens gaining control of the council.

Brighton and Hove Independents founder Bridget Fishleigh has called on the two councillors to quit

Cllr Fishleigh also criticised Labour’s process for vetting candidates and said: “Seven months on from Labour’s landslide victory, it’s disappointing that the big talking point in our city is yet another scandal involving Labour councillors that could have been avoided with a simple background check.

“My request to the remaining Labour councillors is that, whatever happens with regards to future by-elections, your majority isn’t under threat. Please focus 100 per cent on the challenges in our city rather than spending any time on electioneering.

“My message to the two former Labour councillors is to please resign your seats so that people who care about our city can take your place.”

All four political groups represented on Brighton and Hove City Council are now calling on Cllr Gajjar and Cllr Mistry to stand down, with Labour and the Greens also demanding the pair’s resignation.