Tory defection changes balance at Torbay Council

Jason Hutchings has left the Conservatives on Torbay Council

A councillor has quit the ruling Conservative party at a council with a precarious political balance.

Torbay Council member Jason Hutchings left the Conservatives, saying he wanted to be free to voice his own opinions.

The Conservatives remain in charge at Torbay Council but now have 17 seats compared to 15 Liberal Democrats and four Independents.

The Conservative leader said his party would continue "to do the job we were chosen to do".

Hutchings is the third councillor to leave the Conservatives since the council elections in May 2023.

When votes are tied at Torbay the mayor - currently Conservative councillor Barbara Lewis - has the casting vote.

Councillors at Torbay had to undergo a mediation process after a peer review found political tensions were affecting the way the council functioned.

Hutchings said the "political point scoring" between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had been "an eye-opener".

'Political theatre'

He said the situation had improved but he wanted to leave the Conservative group to "get the best outcome for the residents of Brixham".

"I can now ask questions of the Conservative administration that I felt I couldn't ask before," he said.

David Thomas, the Conservative leader of the council, said: "Residents elected us to govern and deliver, not get drawn into political theatre.

"Jason still supports the programme we were elected on and we are continuing to do the job we were chosen to do."