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Sandwell set for first Tory councillor in five years

A Sandwell councillor who quit Labour has applied to join the Tories, saying: "There is more chance of equality under the Conservatives".

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Councillor Gavan has applied to join the Conservatives after quitting the Labour Party

Langley councillor Bill Gavan is due to meet with regional Conservative bosses next week to have his membership application approved.

If he is accepted, Sandwell Council will have its first Tory representation in five years.

Mr Gavan stood down from Labour in November having been first elected in 2014.

He is the owner of the former Subway City nightclub in Birmingham and a founder of the second city's gay pride event.

He said: "I have never been on the left. I'm an equalities man.

"I campaigned for gay equalities most of my life and there is more chance of equality under the Conservatives."

He said his opposition to Jeremy Corbyn's leadership had influenced his decision, and also hit out at Labour's ruling NEC for its role in the deselections of a number of councillors in the borough ahead of last May's local elections.

"I am not a Corbynist," he added. "The NEC put its mark in Sandwell by deselecting a lot of lovely people.

"What appalled me the most was that there were many lovely councillors who were deselected.

"I think that is going to happen again. Corbyn is not going tomorrow."

Sandwell Council leader Yvonne Davies has described Mr Gavan's decision as "extraordinary".

Councillor Yvonne Davies, Sandwell Council's Labour leader, said she had not spoken to Mr Gavan, but described his decision as "extraordinary".

"It always amazes me when people can jump from one side of the political spectrum to the other," she said.

"We have a Conservative Party that is very much to the 'right', and it makes no sense that a Labour politician can sign up to that agenda.

"It undermines democracy when people switch sides without testing it at the ballot box."

Sandwell Council is dominated by Labour and has had no Conservative elected members since 2015 when Anne Hughes lost her seat in Charlemont with Grove Vale.

But in recent years the Labour group has been dogged by in-fighting.

It had three different leaders last year and saw a number of councillors quit, including Bill Cherrington who joined the Brexit Party.