Sandwell councillors to stand independent after being deselected by Labour
Two Sandwell councillors will stand as independent candidates in the upcoming council elections after being deselected by Labour.
Councillors David and Shirley Hosell, who are husband and wife, are among a quarter of councillors who have been deselected ahead of May's elections.
They have now opted to stand as independent candidates for their current wards. It comes after reports that both councillors have resigned from the Labour Party.
Mr Hosell represents Newton and Mrs Hosell represents Great Barr with Yew Tree.
The move comes after Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson claimed allies of Jeremy Corbyn were orchestrating a hard-left takeover of Sandwell Council's Labour group.
Mr Hosell is the cabinet member for highways and was first elected in 2008.
Mrs Hosell was first elected in 2011.
