A Conservative Adur District Councillor has been kicked out of the party for voting in favour of sessions to support people struggling with the cost of living.
Ann Bridges (Ind, Widewater) says she may now try to rejoin Labour after being removed from Adur District Council’s Conservative party and administration.
She was expelled for voting with the Labour-led opposition to approve one of its eight budget amendments.
The amendment saw an extra £1,500 added to the communities and wellbeing budget from reserves, to develop an action plan to host ‘pop-up’ cost of living information sessions in Sompting, Lancing, Shoreham, Southwick and Fishergate for vulnerable residents.
Council leader Neil Parkin (Con, Hillside) said her removal was the consequence of not sticking with the administration on its 2024/25 budget votes.
Cllr Bridges told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she used to be a social care worker and was voting for what she ‘believed in’ over toeing the party line, saying she thought the move was a ‘punishment’ for her vote.
She said from when she was a teenager, up unti about 2003, she had been a Labour member, only leaving the party after Tony Blair’s Labour administration went to war in Iraq.
Cllr Bridges said she was now thinking about rejoining the Labour party for the upcoming local elections, stating she would stand as an independent if this was not possible. Cllr Bridges is currently listed as an independent on the council’s website.
The current party split in Adur District Council is now 15 Conservatives, eight Labour, two Greens, and three Independents, with the Conservatives still in control of the council.
Labour Leader Jeremy Gardner said they would have to look at Cllr Bridges’ voting history and compatibility with the party before deciding to bring her on, stating she would need to stand as a Labour candidate in the May 2 elections to join the party.
He said: “An individual who chose to stand against a Labour candidate in an election would face serious questions if, once elected, they wished to become a Labour councillor.
“They would have opposed a Labour Party member, duly selected by the Party and would not be rewarded for that. Anyone wanting to be represented by a Labour councillor must vote for a Labour candidate.”
The current make-up of Adur District Council is now 15 Conservative, eight Labour, two Green; two Independent SBRA, one Independent and one vacancy.
