Walsall Council leader, Mike Bird and fellow borough Councillor, Suky Samra have been suspended by the Conservative Party.

The sanctions have been dished out following an investigation into complaints made by members, which has been ongoing for more than two years.

It is believed Councillor Bird has been suspended for three months which will be followed by a further suspension from holding a leadership post within the party for 12 months.

Councillor Samra has also been suspended by the party although he has sat as an independent since March last year. Both have 28 days to issue an appeal against the sanctions.

When contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Councillor Bird said he was unable to go into any detail due to the party’s confidentiality rules. He said:

“I’ve no response because I’m bound by the confidentiality. I’m the leader of the council until 2027 and that’s where I shall be. This is something that has been going on for two years and has finally come to a culmination.”

But Councillor Samra said: “I’ve sat as an independent since last year so the suspension does not affect me anyway. I spoke up when others were afraid too and this has been my sanction for speaking up.”

Councillor Bird was first elected to the authority in 1980 and has been leader on a number occasions, including three stints for a total of 12 years in the last two decades.

Councillor Samra was elected as a Conservative in Streetly ward in 2018. A Walsall Council spokesperson said: “This is a matter for the Conservative Party.

“According to the Local Government Act, actions taken by any political party do not exclude an elected member from continuing as a councillor. Councillor Bird continues to be the Leader of the Council.”

The shock news comes days after the Conservative group bucked the national trend and enjoyed a mostly successful local election campaign.

They held onto 11 of the 12 seats they were defending and, after losing Bloxwich West, the party won Rushall Shelfield to retain 37 of the 60 seats on the council.