Solihull Council Asks Government for Councillor Recall Powers

Solihull Council will write to the government asking for a law that would let voters recall their councillors. The request was added to Monday night’s emergency motion and agreed by the full council.

The extraordinary meeting on 19 October was called after an ITV report on remarks made by three Castle Bromwich councillors, all elected for Reform UK in May. All three resigned before it took place, as we reported on 20 October.

The council’s draft minutes record what was decided. The council leader, Karen Grinsell, said in her column on 21 October that the motion “was passed unanimously, supported by councillors from all parties”.

Reform UK’s councillors signed the motion

The motion was tabled by 36 councillors from the Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green groups, with independent Eleonora Gough. Reform UK’s councillors were not among them.

At the meeting, the Reform UK group leader, Samantha Gethen, proposed adding the names of her group’s 12 councillors to the list of supporters. Prish Sharma, a Reform UK councillor for Shirley West, seconded it. The minutes say that amendment was voted on and accepted, taking the list to 48 names.

The minutes do not record what was said in the debate. A webcast of the meeting is on the council’s site and runs to just under two hours.

What the motion now says

Green councillor Shahin Ashraf moved a rewrite of the motion, because the three councillors had already gone. Max McLoughlin, the Green leader, seconded it. It was agreed and became the motion the council voted on.

The rewritten text:

• says the three councillors, in the council’s opinion, “encouraged hatred and discrimination” to the point that they were not fit for civic roles
• says such conduct “is incompatible with civic roles”, and that the principle must apply “to every civic role and every civic honor this Council confers”
• fills the posts they left, instead of removing them from those posts
• reserves the Combined Authority scrutiny seat for a Reform UK nominee, to keep the political balance

It also refers back to a motion passed on 14 April 2026, which promised a review of the members’ code of conduct covering discriminatory language by councillors.

The recall request

The new final clause asks the chief executive to write, on the council’s behalf, to:

• the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
• the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth
• the Minister for Homelessness, Democracy, Communities and Faith
• Solihull’s MPs

The letter will ask the government to legislate for a recall petition for councillors, “equivalent to the Recall of MPs Act 2015”. Under the council’s proposal:

• recall would be triggered by “serious misconduct established through a fair process”, including suspension under the government’s proposed standards regime
• a petition signed by at least 10% of the ward’s registered electors would vacate the seat
• a by-election would follow

At present there is no way for voters to remove a councillor between elections. A councillor who leaves their party keeps the seat, as two of the Castle Bromwich three did for a few days before they resigned outright.

Who fills the empty posts

The council made these appointments, according to the minutes:

Cllr Mackenzie was Mayor of Solihull in 2025-26, the council said in its announcement of her appointment. The Stronger Communities and Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Board will appoint a new chair at its next meeting. The Resources and Delivering Value Scrutiny Board will appoint a new vice-chair.

The Castle Bromwich by-election is on 26 November

The council has set the date. Voters in Castle Bromwich will elect three councillors on Thursday 26 November, and can vote for up to three candidates, according to the council’s by-election page.

The election also starts the pre-election period, which limits what the council can publish. Cllr Grinsell said her weekly column will stop until the election has been held.

What it means for you

• The recall request is a letter, not a law. Nothing changes for voters unless the government legislates. Solihull’s MPs are among those being asked.
• If you live in Castle Bromwich, you have no councillor until 27 November at the earliest. Contact the council directly, or a councillor from a neighbouring ward, with any problem in the meantime.
• Register by 10 November if you have moved home or turned 18, through GOV.UK.
• Take photo ID to the polling station. The council’s voter ID page lists what is accepted.

We will publish the list of candidates when the council’s statement of persons nominated is out.