Dr Bharat Pankhania, who served as the ceremonial Mayor of Bath, remains a councillor despite announcing his resignation several months ago.
In March, Dr Pankhania stepped down from the mayoral role after sharing a repost on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. The post referred to an arson attack on ambulances run by a Jewish charity as an “Israeli false flag.” Following criticism, Dr Pankhania issued an apology, stating that the views did not represent his values and emphasised he had not understood the implied meaning at the time.
At the Bath and North East Somerset Council meeting in July, Dr Pankhania declared his intention to resign as councillor for Combe Down, a position he held for eight years. However, two months later, ahead of the council’s first meeting since the summer break on 17 September, he has yet to formally resign and continues to hold the councillor position.
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Information from the Local Democracy Reporting Service suggests councillors from several parties persuaded Dr Pankhania to remain in his role to prevent the local authority from incurring the costs of a by-election. The next scheduled local elections for the council are due on 6 May 2027.
The controversy began when Dr Pankhania shared posts in March alleging that arson attacks on four ambulances operated by a Jewish charity in Golders Green were an “Israeli false flag,” alongside posts implying the incidents involved insurance fraud. He subsequently deleted these posts and issued a full apology, describing them as “abhorrent.”
Following these events, the Liberal Democrats suspended him, and he left the party the same month he resigned as Mayor of Bath.
During the council meeting on 16 July, Dr Pankhania expressed that his decision to resign was difficult but necessary for his health and wellbeing. He acknowledged making “a momentary error” in sharing the social media posts before understanding their implications, stating remorse for the offence caused and the distraction to the council and mayoralty.
Dr Pankhania emphasised his commitment to public service as a privilege and reflected on his time serving the community with integrity and respect.
Notably, three councillors exited the chamber before he made his statement. Dr Pankhania was the 798th ceremonial Mayor of Bath, a role typically held by a different councillor each year, and the first mayor to resign from the position since 1937.
He has been contacted for clarification on whether he still plans to resign his councillor seat, but no response has been confirmed.