'Interference' the reason for councillor's defection
THE Conservatives majority on Huntingdon Town Council has been cut by two with the defection of its group leader to the Liberal Democrats. Councillor Dave Dransfield blamed interference from the constituency organisation in the way he was allowed to lead
THE Conservatives' majority on Huntingdon Town Council has been cut by two with the defection of its group leader to the Liberal Democrats.
Councillor Dave Dransfield blamed interference from the constituency organisation in the way he was allowed to lead the party group on the council.
"I was promised a free hand to manage, but that was usurped. I found some of that hard to deal with," he told The Hunts Post.
The issue came to a head over how to deal with one Tory councillor with a poor attendance record. Councillor Dransfield had wanted simply to remind the councillor that his membership would lapse. But the constituency office had persuaded him to attend one meeting to avoid a by-election, he said.
You may also want to watch:
"The town council should be non-political in the best interests of the people of Huntingdon. We always seem to agree with the Lib Dems in the ultimate outcome, because we all know what the electors want us to do.
"I contemplated resigning totally, but I still wanted to be part of the decision-making process for the town."
Most Read
- 1 Murder most foul in village's historical records
- 2 St Ives schoolboy looking to claim national title with Kettering Town
- 3 Mum shares her experience in call for IVF to be reinstated
- 4 Hundreds sign petition to get drains cleared in Buckden after more flooding
- 5 Man jailed for sexual relationship with schoolgirl
- 6 Matt Hancock at Hinchingbrooke Hospital
- 7 Man dies following collision near Bluntisham
- 8 Read about the interesting history of the village of Broughton
- 9 Vaccine centre closure date announced amid 60,000 doses target
- 10 Family pets and beautiful wildlife for our Readers Photos this week
Councillor John Morgan, Lib Dem leader on the town council, said: "I am pleased that Dave has decided to join our group and increase it from three to four. Dave has impressed me over the last 15 months by his determination to put the interests of residents first.
"He is hard-working and committed and he shares many of the aspirations that we have for a better Huntingdon."
Tory agent Sir Peter Brown shrugged off the defection. "We are sorry to lose him, but it seems a shame he has decided to do this when more people are supporting the Conservative Party."
Town mayor Councillor Saeed Akthar would not comment. "I'm non-political in this office. He has written to me and I have written back. That's about it. As chairman, I can't really comment."
There are now 12 Conservative councillors and four Liberal Democrats.
