UPDATE: A councillor has claimed “a victory for openness and democracy” after his suspension for uploading videos on to YouTube was overturned.

Brighton and Hove city councillor Jason Kitcat was ticked off by the local authority for uploading five clips of council meetings on to the internet site.

But at an independent hearing yesterday Coun Kitcat was cleared of breaching the members’ code of conduct and showing disrespect to fellow councillor Geoffrey Theobald.

This was despite council bosses spending thousands of pounds on a barrister for the appeal, who advertises his ability to “stick the boot in”.

Clip number five, which the Brighton and Hove City Council panel deemed disrespectful to Councillor Geoffrey Theobald

Speaking after the three-hour hearing, Coun Kitcat described the YouTube saga as a “personal attack” focused on “political point-scoring”.

He said: “This is a victory for openness and democracy for voters and councillors not just in this city but across the country.

“This complaint against me has been a massive waste of council resources and officer time but I am relieved at the result because I can now go on representing the people in my ward.”

The Green party councillor, who represents Regency ward, was threatened with suspension for up to six months in July after a hearing by the authority’s standards committee assessment panel.

It ruled Coun Kitcat had breached the code and suspended him from serving as a councillor until he had written to Coun Theobald to apologise.

Following an appeal, the Tribunals Service for Local Government Standards in England held a hearing yesterday at the Brighton Hilton Metropole.

Simon Bird QC, chairman of the panel, agreed with the local authority that Coun Kitcat was acting in an official capacity when uploading the clips.

However, he stated while the clips made a mockery of Coun Theobald, they did not treat him with disrespect.

The panel said Coun Kitcat was not “underhand in using council resources” and overruled his suspension.

Dr Michael Wilkinson, chairman of the council’s standards hearing panel, said: “I’m not disappointed as this was a new area, a largely untried area which could prove to be harmful to the democratic process.

“All we asked was for Councillor Kitcat was to apologise. We did not want to suspend him.”

While Coun Kitcat represented himself, the council hired Local Government expert Wayne Beglan to put its case forward.

The council rejected accusations Mr Beglan’s services would cost a “five-figure sum” as “wildly inaccurate”.

Last week Tory Local Government minister Eric Pickles branded the council’s decision to discipline Coun Kitcat as “petty, silly and pointless”.