Brighton councillors welcome resignations following scandal

Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar announced they would be quitting Brighton and Hove City Council with immediate effect after facing allegations that they lived hundreds of miles from the city as well as claims of electoral malpractice.

They were both elected as Labour councillors at the local election in May last year but were expelled from the party in December and were sitting on the council as independent councillors.

The pair attracted further criticism last month after spending less than an hour at the first full council of the meeting of the year, allowing them to claim a financial member allowance.

Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar at Brighton and Hove City Council's meeting on February 1

Chandni Mistry, who served as a councillor for Queen’s Park, told The Argus she was quitting local politics to focus on her studies.

“To be Brighton’s youngest councillor has been truly an honour. I will always cherish the memories of my time representing Queen’s Park,” she said.

Bharti Gajjar, who served as a councillor for the Kemp Town ward, cited health issues, personal difficulties and resuming studies in medicine as her reasons for resigning.

She said: “It has been an immense privilege to serve my community and more than anything I will miss the interactions with the residents whose causes I take up.

“Seeing their lives improved through the work I have done has been immensely rewarding.”

Labour council leader 'overjoyed'

Council leader Bella Sankey (Image: Andrew Gardner)

Council leader Bella Sankey said she was “overjoyed” by the decision of the two councillors to “do the right thing and step down” and said they should “never have been selected as candidates”.

She said: “The people of Queen’s Park and Kemp Town can now elect new councillors that will listen to their needs and serve them properly.

“Our Labour administration is determined to take this city forward, improving public services, tackling entrenched inequality and setting the whole city on a path to net zero.

“We will now select two first-class candidates to fight these by-election campaigns.”

Scandal 'an ugly distraction'

Labour candidates for the last local election in the city were selected by the regional party following scandals which saw a number of councillors suspended or quit the party over allegations of anti-Semitism.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, represents both wards in Parliament and was one of the assentors enabling Bharti Gajjar’s nomination for the local election in May last year.

He previously told The Argus there were inconsistencies flagged when one of the councillors changed their address to one outside the city and he wrote to police to ask for an investigation for fraud.

Mr Russell-Moyle said: “Their resignations draw a line under the matter.

“It has been an ugly distraction for a Labour administration that has otherwise been doing incredible work.

“I am looking forward to our members getting a say about the replacement candidates and for us to campaign for two new Labour councillors.”

Labour has 'disregard for voters'

Green group leader Steve Davis criticised Labour for their 'careless selection process'

However, opposition parties have criticised Labour for the situation, which has now triggered two by-elections at a time of financial difficulty for the council.

Councillor Steve Davis, leader of the Green group on the city council, said: “It’s a disgrace that, thanks to Labour’s careless selection process, residents of Queen’s Park and Kemp  Town have been without proper representation for almost ten months.

“This whole tawdry episode only highlights the disregard Labour had for voters at the last election, making empty promises and fielding candidates with no intention of representing their wards.

“With the outcomes of the police investigation into electoral fraud not yet known, and clear indications that Labour knew about issues with these candidates months before they notified the police or residents, serious questions remain unanswered.

“The city now pays the price of Labour’s botched selection process through two more costly by-elections - not to mention the thousands of pounds in allowances these councillors claimed while unable to fulfil their duties.

“Greens will be putting forward excellent candidates ready and determined to give local residents the representation they truly deserve.

“We will fight to ensure a voice for the people in Queen’s Park and Kemp Town who have been let down by Labour and denied access to local democracy for so long.”

Independent group to stand candidates in by-elections

Councillor Alistair McNair, leader of the Conservative group on the city council, said Labour should take much of the blame for the situation.

He said: “Labour should have carried proper background checks and informed the would-be councillors of their responsibilities before recruiting them.

“Now, less than a year into an election cycle, residents will be expected to vote again but many will rightly feel let down - this whole saga will have affected trust in the democratic process.”

Councillor Bridget Fishleigh announced her Brighton and Hove Independents group will stand candidates in the two by-elections

Councillor Bridget Fishleigh, leader of the Brighton and Hove Independents group, echoed this view and said the scandal was “a self-made mess by the Labour Party, which should be billed for the cost of these by-elections”.

She said: “Brighton and Hove Independents will be fielding a candidate in each ward.

“People who live there with long track records with their communities who will put the needs of residents before the demands of their parties.”

Chandni Mistry, left, and Bharti Gajjar (Image: Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar)

A council spokesman said: “Two of our councillors, Bharti Gajjar and Chandni Mistry, have confirmed to us that they are resigning from their posts with immediate effect.

“We are making appropriate arrangements to publish official notices of the councillor vacancies.

“We will announce by-election dates when they are available.”

Sussex Police were approached for comment.