E Hold on to your hats: it’s party time down at the Town Hall

THAT merry-go-round that is Torbay’s political scene is off on one again. Tory councillors kicked into the wilderness by their own party have formed their own group – again!

In other news, a Liberal Democrat has joined the ranks of the Independents and the defection of another Conservative to the Lib Dems has already been well documented.

All points to a very interesting and potentially quite confusing election next May!

Cast your mind back several months to my ‘Famous Five’ – five Conservative councillors who at the time were all members of the mayor’s executive group and who fell out big time with their own ruling Tory group for supposedly not towing the party line on several issues in the council chamber.

Councillors Robert Excell, Derek Mills, Nicole Amil, Mark King and Richard Haddock all faced disciplinary action.

Cllr Haddock escaped punishment but the other four were suspended from the Tory group for three months.

They subsequently resigned and formed their own ‘party’ – the Mayor’s Non-Political Executive Group. Their Conservative party masters then entered the affray and Torbay councillors Excell, Amil and King were kicked out of the Conservative party for three years. No further action was taken against Churston councillor Mills – he was dealt with by the Totnes Conservative Association.

Any way it wasn’t’ long before Cllrs Mills, Excell and Amil decided to ditch the Non Political Executive Group idea to suddenly become ‘Independents’.

Now they are back again under a new banner, group, party or what ever you would like to call it! They are now the Torbay Community Independents – and they have been joined by former Tory group member Terry Manning.

Cllr Excell is leader with Cllr Amil his deputy. He says: “Because we were independents we were being left out of crucial meetings in the council.

“It was leaders only. We were told the only way we could get information regarding leaders was to form a group.”

He adds: “The message I am giv-

Cllr Terry Manning ing is that we as independents are not governed by any whip or political masters.

“We represent the community. We are the voice of the people.

“I am going under that banner next May.”

He and Cllr Amil appealed against the national party suspension but didn’t see the process through.

Cllr Excell said: “We went to an appeal in London but they weren’t interested in things like the mayoral system. They said that was irrelevant. They said the constitution of the council was irrelevant.

“The only thing they were concerned about was if the leader said we had to vote for him we had to vote for him.

“I said this was not the party I wanted to be involved in. We walked away”

A councillor for 11 years, he insists: “I know what I am. I still believe in Conservative values and I did not ask to be kicked out.

“But if you are elected by the community to serve the community you serve the community.

“I am standing in the same ward. I am there for the people of Tormohun.

“We want to give people the opportunity next May to have a choice between a political group or a community group.”

The mayor’s executive group, by the way, remains unchanged.

Cllr Excell says: “The mayor is happy with what we are doing.

“He was kicked out of the Tory group. They didn’t want him.”

Cllr Manning, in his third term as a councillor for the Summercombe ward in Brixham, says: “I have left the Conservative group and joined the Community Independents.

“It was over the in-fighting and having to vote for something you didn’t want to vote for.

“It is things like small businesses that we should be looking after more. They are not doing this.

“I want to be fighting for the people of Brixham and Torbay.

“It should not be like it is. It is not right.

“You should be trying to vote as you want to vote.

“This will be a lot better for Torbay.

“I am going to stand as a community independent in May and I have already had a lot of support.

“The little grocer’s shop opposite me is behind me.

“There is even people talking about it down at the local Conservative Club. They are saying they don’t like what is happening.

“I think (as Independents) we stand a chance. The way things have gone in the past couple of years has made people very disappointed.”

To add to the comings and goings Cindy Stocks has switched from the Lib Dems to join the other Independent group led by Mike Morey.

Cllr King, meanwhile, went across to the Lib Dems a while ago.

Tory group leader David Thomas said: “These people were removed from the Tory group more than a year ago.

“They formed one group which imploded after five or six weeks.

“I wish them the best of luck with their new group and hope it lasts longer than five weeks.

“I suspect the reason they are doing this is because of the elections in May.”

He was also quick to point out that the four former Tory councillors had all not been re-selected as Conservatives for next year’s elections.

Only in blooming

Torbay!