Nine Walsall councillors blocked from standing in 2026 elections amid Conservative branch chaos

The Aldridge Brownhills Conservative Association has deselected Councillor Gaz Ali, Sarah Cooper, Nick Gandham, Amo Hussain, Amanda Parkes, Waheed Rasab, Suky Samra, Keith Sears and Vera Waters.

In the past sitting councillors have been automatically accepted at this point of the selection process and only those who have been inactive or with poor behaviour have been rejected.

The councillors, who have been described as committed and experienced, said they have been given no reasons for their refusal.

Alongside the nine deselected, Councillor Bobby Bains is also unable to stand since the deadline for the applications occurred a few days before his six-month suspension lapsed in April.

Councillor Waters, ward member for Rushall-Shelfield, said she’s given ‘eight years of her life’ serving her constituents, adding that there is no ‘logical explanation’ for the deselections.

Councillor Bains, ward member for Aldridge Central and South, said the deselections were ‘beyond logic or reasoning’.

Councillor Keith Sears, ward member for Aldridge North and Walsall Wood, was first elected 50 years ago.

He said the association is ‘handing the 2026 elections to Reform on a plate’.

Last year several councillors wrote to the Conservate Party and the National Conservative Convention raising serious concerns about the ‘toxic environment’ of the association.

They called for an urgent intervention but it is understood that no action was taken.

In a joint statement, the deselected councillors said: “We are deeply disappointed that the association has failed to re-approve us to stand as candidates in the 2026 local elections.

“It is our firm belief, supported by clear patterns and statistics, that what we are witnessing is a deliberate cleansing of candidates.

“A significant number of those who have not been re-approved are Asian, raising serious concerns about potential discrimination within the association.

“Among those not approved are cabinet members, committee chairs, and long-serving councillors, two of them are also president and secretary of the Aldridge Association, all with proven track records of hard work and dedication to their wards.

“There is no valid or objective justification for their exclusion.

“Some of the individuals who have been rejected have also applied to the Walsall & Bloxwich and Wolverhampton Associations, where they have been approved.

“How can five individuals, handpicked by the local association, who most have never interacted with the local party, decide our fate? The whole process is nothing but a shambles.”

Neither the Aldridge Brownhills Conservative Association or the Conservative Party have provided a statement on the matter.

It’s not the first time the branch has come under scrutiny. In 2023, 170 members threatened to quit unless urgent action was taken to address ‘wrong practices’ they claimed were taking place.

A number of people walked out of the association’s AGM in disgust following claims Asian members were allegedly asked to produce photo ID before being allowed in, ‘while white members were not’.

At the time, chair of the association, Barbara Haig, said the claims were ‘preposterous’.

Members also complained about an alleged ‘waving through’ of accounts which included thousands of pounds in legal costs.

The recently deselected councillors said: “The association has experienced ongoing internal issues for several years, including legal disputes.

“In 2022, the association incurred £64,000 in legal costs after an unsuccessful attempt to remove two councillors then.

“These events reflect longstanding dysfunction within the association’s leadership.

“We strongly urge the Conservative Party to investigate these serious discrepancies and ensure that the selection process is conducted fairly, transparently, and free from any form of bias or discrimination, which is clearly prevalent in the association.”