A WOODLEY town councillor has resigned the party whip and moved from the Liberal Democrat group to become an independent.
Cllr Martin Doyle, who represents Loddon West alongside Cllr Michael Forrer, made the decision in April.
Cllr Doyle told Wokingham.Today he resigned because his priorities differed from the Liberal Democrats.
He said: “I feel that to abide by the party whip without question is to behave mindlessly and fail to serve the community effectively.
“In the short period of time I have been a Woodley town councillor, I have concentrated my efforts on equality legislation, where I introduced the Public Sector Equality Duty to Woodley Town Council.”
Cllr Doyle said he also campaigned for facilities for a youth centre in Woodley.
“The youth of Woodley and Wokingham generally have been ill-served by councils over the last 10 years,” he said.
Cllr Doyle said he has also worked to ensure government guidelines have been followed when procuring council contracts.
“This ensures propriety in local government,” he said.
“I will continue, for the remainder of my term as a councillor, to represent the people of Loddon West to the best of my ability and expose the Tory party’s devastating destruction of our social infrastructure.
“An example of this is the youth facilities and services.
“These have been reduced from £1 million per year to nothing in the last 10 years.
“As for leaving the Liberal Democratic Party in Woodley, I am hopeful that time will improve how the party is represented and how it serves the community.”
