A COUNCILLOR in Edinburgh has been told he must reapply to join the Labour council group after refusing to back a city budget that would impose cuts on residents.

Gordon Munro, a longstanding community politician in Leith, has accused the Labour leadership in Edinburgh of “petty and vindictive” behaviour after the he was removed from administration committees and forced to make his case for rejoining the party group. 

The socialist councillor abstained in a February vote on the SNP-Labour coalition’s budget deal, which he said would cause serious harm to communities.