Willaston and Rope councillor Allen Gage has quit the Conservative party and is now sitting as a non-grouped Independent on Cheshire East Council.

Cllr Gage, who was elected to Cheshire East in 2019, stressed there had been no fall-out with the local group on Cheshire East.

"I resigned my membership of the party on a point of personal principle," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"This has been some time coming and will have come as no shock to colleagues and friends. At the end of the day you have to follow your heart."

He added: "I retain warm relationships with fellow Conservative councillors, many of whom encouraged me to stay or return, and received a kind letter from the local chairman thanking me in particular for the 'tremendous work I did, as deputy chairman political, helping everyone during their various elections'."

Cllr Allen Gage (right) with Conservatives Richard Holden MP (left) and Cllr Janet Clowes (centre) on Rope Bank Avenue (Photo: Nub News).

He said it added that they were all very sorry to lose him from the association.

Cllr Gage told the LDRS: "This 'work' was never 'work' for me, I was just trying to help local communities hopefully get a better deal.

advertisement

"I love local issues and am more than happy to work constructively with any colleague where possible to get a win or gain for the local community."

Cllr Gage said he would be standing for re-election again in May 2027.

He added: "I'd like to take this opportunity to publicly thank councillors Janet Clowes and Steve Edgar for all their encouragement and time over the years.

"They are some of the very best South Cheshire has to offer and a credit to our wider community."

Cllr Gage is the second Cheshire East councillor to leave the Conservatives in the past few months.

Bunbury councillor Becky Posnett quit the Tories in October and now sits as a non-grouped member.

The current make-up of Cheshire East Council, which is run by a joint Labour/Independent administration, is Conservatives 33, Labour 28, Independent Group 13, Green Party 1, Independent Socialist 1, Liberal Democrat 1; Reform UK 1; Independent non-grouped 4.