No Confidence Motion Against Mayor at Wyndham City Council

Melbourne, 18 April: A motion of no confidence has been initiated against Mayor Preet Singh at Wyndham City Council in the state of Victoria, Australia.

Councillors Peter Maynard, Susan McIntyre, and Robert Szatkowski have called an unscheduled council meeting, where the motion will be formally considered. The meeting is scheduled for 6pm on Monday, 27 April.

In a social media post, Councillor Susan McIntyre said it was “extremely disappointing that the situation has reached this point, but the Mayor has left us with no alternative.”

She further noted that even if the motion of no confidence is passed, it cannot force the Mayor to resign, but it will formally record the Council’s position.

Councilor Susan requested everyone to use respectful language in her Facebook post.

The controversy began on 30 March when it was revealed that prior to being elected to council in 2024, Preet Singh had provided a character reference for a convicted paedophile. Following the controversy, he took a leave of absence on 2 April and handed over his duties to Deputy Mayor Jasmine Hill.

It has been reported that the character reference was provided for Kashyap Patel, who appeared before the County Court in August 2024 on child sex offence charges. Patel pleaded guilty to grooming a child under 16, transmitting indecent communication to a minor, and sexual assault of a child under 16. In September 2024, he was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment and a two-year Community Corrections Order.

Following the incident, the remaining 10 councillors publicly called for the Mayor’s resignation. The Local Government Minister also announced the appointment of a municipal monitor to oversee Wyndham City Council.

According to Wyndham Star Weekly, attempts were made to contact Preet Singh for comment, but no response has been received so far.

— Wyndham Star Weekly