Scandal-hit Christchurch councillor Deon Swiggs has congratulated his victorious opponent, but vowed to keep working with his lawyers over the "flawed" inquiry into his alleged inappropriate behaviour towards young people.

 On Saturday the 33-year-old was ousted from his central city seat, weeks after allegations were made that he sent "grossly inappropriate" messages to young people, which he denies.

Swiggs, who before the claims surfaced was expected to be comfortably re-elected to council, was beaten by People's Choice/Labour candidate Jake McLellan.

Progress results show McLellan polled 1982 votes to Swiggs' 904; full preliminary results will be released on Sunday with the final declaration expected late next week.

​Swiggs, Christchurch's youngest councillor and a protege of Mayor Lianne Dalziel – who has won a third term – was under investigation over the allegations.

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He took a break from campaigning after the allegations were publicly released late last month but on Sunday announced a renewed push for re-election.

After losing his seat Swiggs offered his congratulations to McLellan on Saturday but said he had faced an uphill battle for re-election since the council's code of conduct investigation was "deliberately leaked" to coincide with ballot papers being sent out.

"I have been overwhelmed with messages of support and would like to thank everyone who offered to put up signage, delivered brochures and got out there to campaign while I was unable to," he said. "Your support was humbling and means the world.

"I wish Jake the best of luck in his new role as councillor for Christchurch Central. This is a critical time for the central city, we've made huge gains in the rebuild but there is still a lot to do.

"I'm still intensely passionate about our city and will always look for opportunities outside council to support it."

​Swiggs said it had been a "privilege" to have met and worked alongside the "incredible people" of the Central ward, which he represented for a single term.

"Sleeping alongside the homeless, supporting community initiatives, and working alongside the business sector have taught me lessons that will last a lifetime."

It is not clear what will become of the council's investigation into Swiggs' alleged behaviour now that he has lost his seat.

Retired High Court judge John Matthews last week found two complaints against Swiggs were material and required a full code of conduct investigation. 

Three complaints were dismissed as they related to his conduct outside his term of office. Of those three, one – which took place in 2013 when the complainant was 15 – was referred to "another agency", which appears to be the police.

Swiggs said: "I look forward to hearing from the council as to what this result means for the code of conduct investigation and I will continue to work with my senior legal counsel on the flawed process we have experienced to date."

The council referred a complaint about Swiggs to "another agency", which appears to be the police.