A sixth newly elected London Green Party councillor has quit, leaving taxpayers to foot a £120,000 bill.
Green representatives in Camden, Haringey, Ealing, Lambeth and Hackney councils have immediately stood down meaning by-elections will have to be held.
Each poll is expected to cost the cash-strapped town halls between £20,000 and £25,000 each to run.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Greens can’t be trusted to deliver at your local council. Now their incompetence will come at a huge cost to taxpayers everywhere.”
Joanna Eaves, who was elected in Clapham Park at the local elections on May 7, has become the latest to resign. She cited health reasons.
She said: “I was honoured to have been voted in as Clapham Park’s first Green councillor, but due to my ill health, I now won’t be able to do the job justice. As a result, I’ve taken the difficult decision to resign.”
It follows Saiqa Ali, who was also elected as one of 29 Green councillors in Lambeth, stepping down following her arrest in the lead up to the polls over allegations she had made a series of antisemitic social media posts.
She was suspended from the party and later said that she would not to take up her seat in the Streatham St Leonard ward.
Simon Anthony, who won in North Acton, Ealing, quit on Monday. He was the only Green candidate to win in the ward, with the other two seats being taken by Labour.
James Tilden was elected to represent Hackney Central ward, but failed to realise his job as a primary school teacher meant he was ineligible to be a councillor because he works for the local authority.
Muhammed Naser, who was elected in the Regent's Park ward of Camden council, has also had to stand down for the same reason.
Jayon Henriques was elected to represent Northumberland Park ward in Haringey but it has since been revealed he was also ineligible to be a councillor. The party has not revealed why he cannot serve in the town hall.
A Haringey Greens spokesman said: “As soon as we were made aware we informed the Electoral Commission and Haringey Council returning officer, and followed their instructions. No local campaigning took place in the ward.”
They added: “We accept the candidate made an error in good faith regarding his eligibility. A by-election will be announced in due course and we look forward to campaigning with a new candidate.”
Labour lost control of more than half of its London boroughs in a dire set of elections for Sir Keir Starmer and his premiership last week.
Zack Polanski’s Green Party were the main beneficiaries from Labour’s plummeting popularity in the capital, taking control of Lewisham, Hackney and Waltham Forest in a series of historic wins.
Meanwhile, Brent, Enfield, Haringey Southwark and Lambeth fell to no overall control after decades of Labour rule.
