Sandwell councillor 'lost trust' in Conservatives

Archer Williams defected from the Conservatives to Labour

A Sandwell councillor has told the BBC he defected from the Conservatives to Labour because he no longer trusts his former party.

Archer Williams, 28, is one of two former Tory councillors in Sandwell to cross the chamber to Labour in the last week.

The authority is currently led by Labour with a large majority.

Mr Williams was elected to his seat in the Princes End ward in May 2021, standing as a Conservative. However, he says he can no longer represent the party.

"I've seen the drastic issues at local level, of being under a Conservative government.

He added that it was "frustrating" to see the impact of funding cuts on the delivery of basic services.

'Broken promises'

"We've been trapped in a cycle over the last 14 years of Conservative governments. "

"When I was voted in I trusted the Conservatives at the time, they said they had a plan for Sandwell.

"All we've seen is broken promises and playing political football with issues. They've let me down, they've let my residents down."

Councillor David Wilkes has also left the Conservatives to join the Labour group.

The BBC has approached the Conservative party for comment and is awaiting a response.

The authority now lists 60 Labour councillors among its membership, compared to eight Conservatives.

Residents face a 5% council tax rise and cuts to services as the council seeks to fill a £19m budget shortfall for the next financial year.