Birmingham councillor suspended amid information leak probe

A Birmingham councillor has been suspended from the Labour Party amid a probe into the leaking of confidential information.

Barbara Dring's suspension is understood to relate to the proposed closure of the Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre.

She also hit out at the treatment of councillor Des Hughes following his suspension from the party in September.

Labour said it would not comment while investigations were pending.

Ms Dring, who has represented Oscott ward since 2004, was notified in writing of the decision on Wednesday.

She said: "I'm gutted, devastated. I've done nothing wrong. They have paralysed me. The people of Oscott will not stand for this any longer."

Ms Dring claimed her suspension concerned the forwarding of emails surrounding Labour Kingstanding councillor Mr Hughes amid an internal investigation into allegations of declared interests.

She also asked for his 3,000-strong petition to save Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre in Kingstanding to be passed on and to be used to campaign against the facility's likely closure.

The Warren Farm walk-in centre, deemed a "community lifeline" by campaigners, is under threat due to safety fears over the presence of collapse-prone Raac concrete.

Health bosses said repairs could cost between £1.5m and £2.5m, with the service expected to relocate to Stockland Green Primary Care Centre two miles away on Reservoir Road in Erdington.

Ms Dring said she could still attend city council meetings and her case work involving Oscott residents would continue.

This report was compiled by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a partnership between the BBC and regional news organisations to cover news from local authorities and other public service organisations.

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