Allegation over offensive tweet sees Birmingham councilor resign and vacate seat

Rick Payne has quit his post following his suspension by Birmingham City Council’s Conservative group over allegations he tweeted “offensive content” from an anonymously used social media account.

As a result of the resignation, a by-election was called for a seat in the Kingstanding ward, an area in the north of the city.

The Conservatives will be fighting to keep this special seat in the coming days as they face opposition from Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the Workers’ Party and the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

Voters will go to the polls later this month, on Thursday, May 30, between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

The list of all candidates running in the by-election can be found below:

Lucy Hayward – Liberal Democrats

Pete Higgins – Birmingham Labor Party

Patrick Christopher Lee – Green Party

Kris O’Sullivan – Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Naz Rasheed – Labor Party

Clifton Frederick Welch – Local Tories

This by-election will be the second held in Birmingham since the city council approved a wave of cuts to local services, as well as a 10% rise in council tax, amid its dire financial position.

A separate by-election held in Birmingham’s Bournbrook and Selly Park borough earlier this month saw Jamie Scott retain a vacant seat for the Labor Party.

The council’s predicament is due to issues specific to Birmingham, such as an equal pay fiasco and the disastrous implementation of a new IT and finance system, as well as increasing demand for services and funding cuts.

Council leader John Cotton has previously criticized the Conservative government and claimed councils across the country are facing a perfect storm of smaller budgets and higher costs.

Tory politicians pointed the finger at mistakes made by the Labor council administration, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisting the authority had mismanaged its finances.