A councillor has had the whip withdrawn whilst their ‘activities’ are under investigation by the local party.

Cllr Phillip O’Dell previously represented the Harrow ward of Wealdstone North for Labour banner but is now listed as an independent.

It is currently unclear what activities are being investigated as, when approached, Cllr O’Dell did not respond to the question. But he did state that he is “still a Labour Party member so not an independent” despite his party being listed as an independent on the council’s website.

He has also been removed from all committees that he had previously sat on, including the licensing and general purposes panel, overview and scrutiny committee, and the traffic and road safety advisory panel. 

When a councillor has the whip removed, they are effectively expelled from their party until it is restored. During this period, they keep their elected seat but must sit as an independent. The Harrow Labour Group confirmed this to be the case to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). 

The group’s leader, Cllr David Perry, said: “Cllr Phillip O’Dell has temporarily had the whip withdrawn from him regarding Harrow Labour Group activities. There is an ongoing investigation regarding the reasoning surrounding this and therefore I am not at liberty to confirm any details publicly whilst this matter has yet to be concluded.” 

He added: “Harrow Labour Group are in communication with the London Regional Labour Party regarding this matter and both are keen to see this issue resolved promptly. All necessary support is being provided to the remaining Labour Councillor in Wealdstone North and any residents who have been in contact for support with local casework."

Cllr O’Dell was first elected to the council in Marlborough ward in 1990 and has served constituents of Wealdstone since 2010. He was also deputy leader of the council when it was run by Labour between May 2010 and May 2012.

The situation has also been a topic of conversation on social media, with the Conservative leader of Harrow Council, Cllr Paul Osborn, tweeting that it’s all “very strange”. He told the LDRS: “Voters need more information about what is being investigated.”

He added: “The people of Wealdstone North need to know what’s going on and have some timescale for when they will get more information, you can’t leave them in the dark.”