General councillors and other notable defections

[paulypaul]

Two Labour councillors have been suspended from the group on Hartlepool Council after voting against the group at a full council meeting doing away with supplementary questions at meetings.

The Hartlepool Two

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Mar 28, 2013 15:43:28 GMT anthony said:

Mar 28, 2013 10:18:36 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

I understand an Islington borough councillor has left the Liberal Democrats over the secret courts legislation, although it's unlikely to affect his council voting. Doesn't appear to be public yet but doesn't normally take long.

No news on this yet?

It's now public: www.islingtontribune.com/news/2013/apr/leading-lib-dem-councillor-quits-party-over-nick-cleggs-support-secret-courts

[jdc]

Chip Sherwood, Green County Councillor in Oxfordshire, is standing as a Conservative candidate next month.

[gwynthegriff]

Apr 5, 2013 14:26:17 GMT jdc said:

Chip Sherwood, Green County Councillor in Oxfordshire, is standing as a Conservative candidate next month.

All that husky-hugging finally pays off for Cameron.

[Davıd Boothroyd]

Johnloony's defection to the Conservatives has been reported in this morning's Times (page 28).

[paulypaul]

Apr 5, 2013 16:25:08 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Apr 5, 2013 14:26:17 GMT jdc said:

Chip Sherwood, Green County Councillor in Oxfordshire, is standing as a Conservative candidate next month.

All that husky-hugging finally pays off for Cameron.

[Dan]

Apr 6, 2013 11:14:54 GMT Davıd Boothroyd said:

Johnloony's defection to the Conservatives has been reported in this morning's Times (page 28).

As well as the Telegraph (page 12)!

[Deleted]

Tories must be desperate for good news ha ha ha ha

[paulypaul]

We're delighted to welcome johnloony to the Conservative party.

He brings great talent and a wealth of campaigning experience with him.

[Deleted]

Actress Susan Pehhaligon leaves the LD's she is related of course to the ex MP David Penhaligon

liberalengland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/susan-penhaligon-leaves-liberal.html

[greatkingrat]

Plus the (Croydon) Guardian

www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/10333327.Monster_Raving_Loony_becomes_a_Conservative/

[johnloony]

Apr 7, 2013 13:38:37 GMT greatkingrat said:

Plus the (Croydon) Guardian

www.croydonguardian.co.uk/news/10333327.Monster_Raving_Loony_becomes_a_Conservative/

The difference is of course that I emailed the Croydon Guardian and the Croydon Advertiser on Monday 1st April to announce my defection, whereas the national newspapers (which i haven't seen yet - I will have to go to the library archive later) merely copied the story several days after the event from trawling through local newspapers.

[paulypaul]

Lib Dem Councillor Des Clarke has become an Independent on Malvern Hills District Council.

[gwynthegriff]

Apr 6, 2013 21:05:38 GMT paulypaul said:

We're delighted to welcome johnloony to the Conservative party.

He brings great talent and a wealth of campaigning experience with him.

Though you might not wish to discuss his WAAAGH Index (or PHWOAR or whatever it's called).

[Tangent]

Belated congrats to John on his change of allegiance - I always thought that you were more of an old-fashioned Liberal, in the pre-Alliance sense.

[johnloony]

Apr 10, 2013 0:14:11 GMT Tangent said:

Belated congrats to John on his change of allegiance - I always thought that you were more of an old-fashioned Liberal, in the pre-Alliance sense.

I had been a floating voter for many years, and in the last few years I sort-of drifted from centre-left to centre-right. When I was centre-left, I would have called myself a social democrat (in the generic sense of the term, not in the S.D.P. sense) but I have always been sort-of libertarian (but not in the crazy right-wing USA sense). I decided to join the Conservative Party when I realised I'm no longer a floating voter.

[Deleted]

A defection of Tory councillor Safell for Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire to Independent:

www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/North-West-Leicestershire-District-councillor/story-18664596-detail/story.html#axzz2Q2gSjAdb

So new council: Tory 20, Lab 16, LD 1 Ind 1.

[paulypaul]

Cllr Matt Fry on Stoke on Trent City Council has been charged with four counts of theft. He'll appear before magistrates on April 24th.

Do Labour suspend councillors, pending the outcome of criminal proceedings, or do they retain the whip?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-22097250

[Davıd Boothroyd]

The normal rule is that those suspected or charged with wrongdoing are suspended from holding office within the party, but do not have the whip withdrawn. Why should someone be relieved of the duty of supporting the policies they were elected to support, over their suspected personal misdeeds?

[ColinJ]

Apr 11, 2013 10:16:04 GMT paulypaul said:

Cllr Matt Fry on Stoke on Trent City Council has been charged with four counts of theft. He'll appear before magistrates on April 24th.

Do Labour suspend councillors, pending the outcome of criminal proceedings, or do they retain the whip?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-22097250

To my knowledge usually suspended from the Group, but not the Labour Party, until the outcome of any proceedings are known.

In Harrow two Labour councillors got into a spot of bother recently. Both were suspended from the Labour Group once the allegations/charges were made. One, after a caution from the Police, immediately resigned from the Council causing the recent by-election in West Harrow ward. The other, after eventually pleading guilty to certain charges (and given a short suspended prison sentence) faced almost certain expulsion from the Labour Party, but resigned his membership before this happened. Sadly, he has not had the decency to resign from the Council.