ALLEGATIONS that a long-serving Labour councillor for Cradley and Wollescote breached standards expected of an elected representative are to be heard in secret.

Councillor Richard Body has been accused of sharing confidential information with the press.

The council has not disclosed details of the complaint made against the councillor, simply saying it concerned “the disclosure of confidential information to the press”.

Cllr Body said he had been accused of whistleblowing after he said the council had been "turning a blind eye to exploitation" last June after discovering Romanian workers had been living in a Lye factory unit for more than six months.

Councillor Richard Body

Councillor Richard Body

The councillor, who has served on Dudley Council since 2004, said a complaint was made against him after he called for action regarding the situation and after he requested help for a tenant threatened with eviction from his council home following the death of his mother.

He told the News he spoke out as he does not “believe in hiding things from residents” and said he was looking forward to the standards committee hearing to put his side of the story across.

He added: "I will always put the residents first and if it's wrong I will call it out."

The hearing has been scheduled to ahead at 10.30am on Friday January 28, however it will be held in private session due to the ‘confidential information’ involved.

Mohammed Farooq, the council’s monitoring officer, said: “The matter will be heard at a standards sub-committee. However, in view of the confidential information to be discussed the report will be heard in private sessions and therefore closed to the public. We will be reporting the findings of the committee in due course.”