Two Sandwell councillors cleared as complaints of wrongdoing mount

Sandwell’s ethical standards and member development committee was told of the results of investigations as it reviewed a list of 13 probes into claims the council’s code of conduct had been broken.

The findings of no breaches comes as the council is beset by complaints against local politicians ranging from interfering in a land sale, breaking Covid regulations and making defamatory statements.

At the same time, internal disagreements within the authorty’s ruling Labour group have seen claims of racism, anti-Semitism and bullying.

The number of council allegations is so high Sandwell has hired extra staff to deal with all the cases.

Surjit Tour, director of law and governance and monitoring officer, said two cases had now been resolved. They included claims a councillor shared confidential staff information and a second charge of alleged misconduct in relation to domestic arrangements.

The names of the councillors and details of the investigations were withheld but a council spokesman said: “The committee was informed of the outcome, namely that there was no breach found and the matters have been closed accordingly.

“The council does not share details of councillors facing a standards complaint unless the complaint is to be considered by the Standards Sub-Committee after an investigation has been undertaken and a significant breach found. This is to help ensure complaints can be dealt with effectively and fairly to all parties concerned.”

The committee was told another four cases are expected to be completed by the end of this month after which a decision will be made on any disciplinary action.

Final reports on a further five cases are expected between January and February next year.

Separate to the council’s investigations, the Labour Party has suspended the membership of four councillors while a further two are the subject of internal complaints.