Weston-super-Mare Tory association boss Richard Nightingale has been suspended from the Conservative party.
Mr Nightingale is chairman of the Weston-super-Mare Conservative Association.
His suspension from the party is understood to have come into force earlier this week.
It is not known why Mr Nightingale has been suspended, but an internal investigation is underway.
Mr Nightingale has been chairman of the association since 2017 and was due to hand over the reins this year.
Members of the association were told of the decision in an email and by phone by Conservative Party South West Regional chairman Peter Booth.
Mr Nightingale was a councillor for Weston-super-Mare both on North Somerset Council and Weston Town Council representing central ward.
However he lost his seat on both the district council and town council at the May 2019 elections.
In an email from south west regional chairman of the Conservative party Peter Booth, seen by Bristol Live, it said: “I have spoken to many of you this afternoon to convey the message that Richard Nightingale was today suspended as a Conservative Party member pending investigation."
However when contacted by Bristol Live, Mr Booth said he was ‘unable to comment on internal party matters'.
The annual general meeting of the Weston Association will take place on October 29 and will be chaired by Mr Booth.
A new officer team will be elected at the meeting which will ‘take forward the work of the association’.
Mr Booth, in his email, told members it was ‘important that we all work together and particularly to achieve electoral success next May'.
Mr Nightingale is well known in the town. He runs Nightingale Removals and Storage and is also the current chairman of the charity Somewhere to Go.
In 2011 he put forward ambitious plans to redevelop the then-dilapidated Tropicana in the town.
The plans would have seen an Olympic-size pool, diving pool and children’s swimming area, which would be part covered and bordered by an inland beach, at the pool.
But the scheme never moved forward after being ruled ‘unviable’ by the council.
Bristol Live has contacted Mr Nightingale for commentt.
