Dirty Chains: How Sandwell Labour Turned the Mayoralty Into a Badge of Shame

 

Dirty Chains: How Sandwell Labour Turned the Mayoralty Into a Badge of Shame

There was a time when the Mayoral chains in Sandwell actually meant something. They represented dignity, integrity, and a level of respect expected from someone chosen to symbolise the best of the borough. A role above the party machine. A role for someone the community could look to.

Not anymore.

Sandwell Labour have dragged the chains through the mud by appointing Cllr Steve Melia — a man convicted of assaulting a resident outside the council house — as the face of the borough. This wasn’t accidental. It wasn’t something buried in the mists of time. They knew about his conviction. They knew about the standards investigation. They knew how unacceptable it was.

And yet, they still handed him the chains.

They re-selected him after the conviction.
They re-elected him.
They defended him.
And then they rewarded him with the highest civic honour Sandwell can give.

No credible organisation — political or otherwise — would do that. But Sandwell Labour did it with a smile and a photo-op.

And let me make this clear: I’m no angel myself.
I’ve had my own issues in the past — many years ago. I’ve been open about that. I don’t pretend to be perfect and never have.
But even so, I would never for one second believe I should accept the Mayoral chains or try to stand as the “moral” figurehead for Sandwell. There are standards. There is judgment. There are lines you simply don’t cross.

Yet Labour crossed every one of those lines when they elevated a man with a recent violent conviction into a role meant to inspire children, families, and the wider community.

They sent him into schools.
They put him in front of primary pupils for UK Parliament Week.
They rolled him out at youth awards involving care-experienced young people.
All while knowing exactly what he’d done.

That’s not just poor judgement. It’s a safeguarding failure, an ethical failure, and a leadership failure.

And don’t forget: all this happened while Sandwell was still trying to shake off the stain of government commissioners and national headlines about mismanagement and Labour infighting. The Mayoralty could have been a point of renewal. Instead, Labour used it as a loyalty reward.

Hearing that Melia won’t be a candidate next year is a relief for the borough. But simply waving him goodbye doesn’t fix the damage. Because the real problem isn’t just one councillor behaving badly — it’s the culture that protected him, promoted him, and pretended everything was fine.

The chains aren’t just tarnished.
They’re dirty.
And until Sandwell Labour clean up their standards and rediscover basic integrity, the Mayoral office will remain a symbol of how far this borough’s civic pride has fallen.

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