Tony Stock, a businessman, was voted out of the City Club in Norwich's Colegate at the end of last year in a poll of its 90-strong membership.

Following the decision, Mr Stock said he would fight his expulsion and is consulting with lawyers about taking action against the club.

He said: "I do not accept the City Club’s actions and I am in the process of challenging them."

The City Club - membership of which has traditionally included significant numbers of senior police officers - had posted details of Mr Stork's legal challenge on its website, as part of its regular news update but it has since been removed.

The exact circumstances of Mr Stock's expulsion remain unclear, with neither the club nor Mr Stock wishing to comment further.

A spokesman for the City Club, which opened in 1897, said: "Unfortunately, due to the ongoing legal proceedings, we are not in a position to offer any comment."

Norwich's men's only clubs have been under the spotlight in recent weeks after the Strangers' Club, on Elm Hill, announced it would start letting women join for the first time in its 99-year history.

Inside the Strangers' Club on Elm Hill in Norwich. (Image: Newsquest)

The decision meant the City Club is the last remaining men-only club in the county, as the Norfolk Club, in Upper King Street, started allowing women to join in the 1990s.

The change in policy may increase pressure on the City Club to also start accepting women members.

Following the Strangers Club announcement, Gurpreet Padda, Labour cabinet member for equalities and social justice at Norwich City Council, argued there was "no need" for men-only spaces in 2026.

"I'm vehemently opposed to gentlemen's clubs and male-only private members clubs," she said.

"There is no need for men-only spaces because they prevent women from progressing and are a backward step in 2026."

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