Council manager who is suing bosses set to stand for election
ABIRMINGHAM leisure centre manager who is suing his council bosses for racial discrimination is set to stand for election.
Zhor Malik was suspended from work at Nechells Wellbeing Centre, but is due to challenge his suspension at a tribunal in January following a preliminary hearing in September.
Now the Labour Party has selected him to stand in the new Balsall Heath West seat in the 2018 Birmingham City Council election. The area has been safe Labour territory meaning Mr Malik is odds-on favourite to win a seat on the council in May.
He beat competition from veteran city councillor Tony Kennedy who currently represents the area. But he has refused to comment on the discrimination allegations until his tribunal is over on January 8.
The city council said it does not comment on individual cases.
Labour members across the city are finalising the selection of their 101 candidates for the May 2018 elections, but the contests have not been without controversy.
There is to be a third ballot in Harborne following complaints that due process has not been followed.
Candidate Sundip Meghani was selected in August, only to have the result cancelled as members complained they had not been informed of the vote. Mr Meghani won a second vote on December 2 by a reported 17 to 13 votes, only for the result to again be challenged by members of the pro-Corbyn Momentum group which claimed that correct processes were not followed.
Labour Party bosses confirmed that the selection will now be re-run.
Mr Meghani said: “I have now participated in two internal Labour Party selection meetings in Harborne — and won both times. I was pleased to receive the backing of local party members.
“Of course I am disappointed at the prospect of the selection meeting being run a third time.
“However, I have faith and confidence in Harborne Labour Party members to select the person they feel is best equipped to help jointly lead our local election campaign, and work hard in the local community, improve peoples’ lives.”
Other selections have also brought nail-biting finishes and bitter contests as councillors and candidates squabble over fewer seats, with the current 120 due to be reduced to 101 in May.
There are likely to be several highprofile councillors left without a seat when the round of selections are finished next week.
Veteran councillor Ansar Ali Khan is reported to have been de-selected in Alum Rock. He lost to another senior councillor, Mohammed Idrees, in a crunch battle. Cllr Khan won his Washwood Heath seat in 2015 with a huge 9,200 votes, a majority of almost 7,800 over his nearest rival. to help