Conservative-controlled Basildon Council has been criticised by a government minister after prosecuting local resident Leslie Brooks, who was guilty of leaving out pink recycling sacks for collection “on a weekly basis”. The authority said he had failed to “heed several written warnings and a fixed penalty notice”. Local government minister Grant Shapps hit out at the council however, saying there was “something wrong” with prosecuting people who “simply put out their rubbish”.

A Conservative city councillor in Portsmouth has been accused of disrespect after he walked out of a council meeting for the reading of a Muslim prayer. Cllr Malcolm Hey defended his move saying: “I don’t feel it’s appropriate for Muslim prayers to be said, as I don’t feel we worship the same god as Muslims”. However Lord Mayor, Lib Dem Cllr Paula Riches, who had invited the Imam to read the prayer argued: “It’s very disrespectful, and I will tell him so... it’s very disappointing he chose to do this.”

A Labour councillor in Stoke-on-Trent has quit his party after they selected a different candidate to contest the newly-created Etruria and Hanley ward. Mohammed Iqbal, whose current constituency covers much of the new ward, was angered by the local Labour party’s decision to instead select Majid Khan, who lives in a different area of the city. Mr Iqbal will now serve and run as a non-aligned candidate. Council leader Mohammed Pervez said: “I am sorry to see councillor Iqbal leave the Labour group... however the selection of candidates is done by local Labour party branch members”

There are political changes in Watford too after Conservative councillor Malcolm Meerabux was axed from the party by his fellow Conservative councillors. It follows several months of unease, during which Cllr Meerabux repeatedly refused to allow the party to edit his letters to local newspaper The Watford Observer. Cllr Meerabux responded, saying: “It’s just a bit over the top. As far as I’m concerned, I have gone out of my way to work extremely hard for the Conservative party to be elected, and my reward is to be suspended.”