A Brighton councillor, who was suspended for posting a video clip of a council meeting on YouTube, is to have his case dealt with by a tribunal.
Green councillor Jason Kitcat, who represents Regency on Brighton and Hove City Council, has had his suspension frozen while the tribunal prepares to deal with the matter.
It may hold a hearing in the week beginning Monday 18 October.
Councillor Kitcat appealed against his suspension to the Tribunals Service for Local Government Standards in England.
The tribunal yesterday agreed to hear his appeal.
Councillor Kitcat had been told to apologise to Brighton Conservative councillor Geoffrey Theobald by the council’s standards committee.
He was ordered to be suspended until he said sorry or for up to six months.
This would have meant missing council and committee meetings.
The sanction followed a complaint by Conservative councillor Ted Kemble about a “highly edited” video clip showing Councillor Theobald as the subject of laughter at a meeting.
The complaint was supported by Conservative council leader Mary Mears and a fellow Tory, Councillor Brian Oxley.
The meeting was broadcast online in full by the council itself.
Last month a panel ruled that Councillor Kitcat had failed to treat other councillors with respect and that he had misused council resources in putting the videos onto YouTube.
Councillor Kitcat said: “I’m delighted that the tribunal’s principle judge agrees with me that this case merits further attention.
“The Conservative councillors’ pursuit of their complaint against me shows poor judgement.
“All I have done is made public footage of open council meetings more accessible for my constituents.
“I shall be making the argument to the tribunal that there is no basis for the complaint or the sanctions they are trying to impose.
“The public have the right to know what is happening in the council meetings they pay for.
“For Conservatives to use a code of conduct complaint to try and block openness and transparency is extraordinarily disappointing.”
