A PARISH councillor who was removed after being accused of failing to attend council meetings has won his fight for reinstatement at London's High Court.

Alexander Abiola, a member of Eastfield Parish Council, Scarborough, took his case to court after he was told he had forfeited his seat in October last year and a by-election was called.

He denied he had failed to attend meetings and accused the council of acting "irrationally" and of failing to give him a fair hearing.

Yesterday, at the High Court, Mr Abiola, of Lowfield, Eastfield, won his case without a fight when Judge Jack Beatson, QC, announced that the parish council had agreed to settle the case.

Among other things, the council accepted that Mr Abiola had not forfeited his seat and continued to hold office.

The judge made a formal declaration that the "notice of vacancy" announced on October 2 last year and proposals for a by-election were both "null and void".

Mr Abiola and the parish council each agreed to pay their own legal costs of the action, which could have culminated in a full-blown High Court hearing had settlement terms not been agreed.