Wolverhampton councillor reinstated by Tories again after appeal
A Black Country councillor has been reinstated by the Conservative party for a second time following allegations that he took part in a plot to stop another Tory candidate from being elected.
Councillor Arun Photay was suspended by Wolverhampton's Conservative party after he was accused of being involved in a coup that led to two Tory candidates contesting the Tettenhall Regis seat in May's council elections.
But Tory central office has this week reinstated Mr Photay on appeal, after an investigation found there had been 'technical issues' with the vote to suspend him.
A letter from Tory headquarters states that the reasons behind Mr Photay's suspension were not examined by the appeals board.
It says the decision to reinstate Mr Photay was made due to procedural issues with the Wolverhampton Conservative group's vote to oust him.
Mr Photay was handed a six-month ban following a vote by Wolverhampton's nine Tory councillors, but the result has been declared void due to the presence of a member of the Tories' West Midlands regional office during the ballot.
Councillor Wendy Thompson, who leads the Tory opposition on the council, said:
"Our decision has been overruled on a technical issue. They say that only councillors should have been present during the vote.
"It appears that the regional office does not agree with headquarters when it comes to procedural advice."
She added: "No one can understand why they did not look at the allegations. The group will be revisiting this issue."
Mr Photay had been deselected earlier this year but was reinstated by Conservative headquarters.
He said: "I put in an appeal to the party based on rules, and they have unanimously decided to uphold the appeal. I am delighted."
