Misconduct councillor resigns

Mr Murtaza was found guilty of assaulting two police officers

A Labour councillor has resigned after he failed to declare he had a criminal conviction.

Ghulam Murtaza, a Rochdale councillor, was found guilty of misconduct at a Labour party hearing.

His departure means Labour loses its majority on the council until the next elections in May.

Mr Murtaza, a member for Middleton West, was voted in last May before being suspended in August when details of his conviction emerged.

His resignation means he will remain a member of the Labour Party but will not be allowed to stand as a candidate or represent Labour in any form for three years.

A spokesman for the regional North West Labour party explained that technically Mr Murtaza could have continued as an independent councillor.

But had he done so, he would have been expelled from the Labour Party for a period of up to 10 years.