A suspended councillor says he has been left in limbo for a year following reports of an altercation at a Labour Party Christmas do.

Satinder Shokar and fellow member Stephen Hubbard are still to learn their fate following an incident between them in 2023.

The two men and party bosses have remained tightlipped about what happened at Chatham’s Gurkha Fire restaurant.

But it’s understood they had a heated exchange so serious it was referred to the south east branch of the Labour Party which suspended them and launched an investigation.

The probe, which started a year ago today (February 26), is still ongoing, much to the frustration of Cllr Shokar, who was elected seven months prior to the incident.

He says in all that time he hasn’t heard anything from the Labour Party and feels a year without news is harsh.

He said: “It’s been difficult for me as a new councillor trying to navigate my way through the role without the benefits that belonging to a group brings.

“Additionally, many rumours have circulated about the nature of the incident I’m being investigated for and none of the ones I’ve heard are true.”

Cllr Skokar represents Strood West on Medway Council, while Cllr Hubbard - who declined to comment - is the long-serving member for Strood North and Frindsbury.

The men have remained on the local authority as independents but it remains unclear when and if the national head office will take action against them, or even if there is a case to answer.

Medway Council and local party leader, Cllr Vince Maple, says the decision was still being dealt with by national colleagues and they would report back in due course.

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted Labour South East in November asking for an update, it said it did not “give commentary on internal investigation processes”.

Meanwhile, requests for an update this week have gone unanswered.

Cllr Maple said: “The Labour Party rulebook makes it clear I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation but I hope it is completed soon.”

The delay has also been noticed by opposition groups, with the leader of the Medway Tories, Cllr George Perfect, saying it is residents who ultimately suffer from the lack of answers.

He said: “It is utter madness the Labour Party has had councillors suspended for over a year, with no sign of the matter coming to a close.

“Not only is it bad for governance, but it also shows a total lack of decisiveness of the part of the Labour Party.

“Ultimately the people who suffer the most are residents, with a lack of clarity on the role of their councillors within the authority.”