East Riding Conservative defects to Liberal Democrats
- Published
Charlie Bayram (left) has joined the Liberal Democrat group led by David Nolan (right)
A Conservative councillor has defected to the Liberal Democrats due to concerns over how the council is run.
Charlie Bayram, who represents Howden on East Riding Council, said the Liberal Democrats were the only party "holding the council to account".
Despite his defection the Tories still have a large majority on the council.
The Conservative group said it was "saddened" by his decision, but said it came after he was not re-selected to stand in his ward.
Mr Bayram won re-election in Howden in 2019, with 41.6% of the vote.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Bayram was concerned about a Local Government Association report into East Riding Council.
It included claims the authority was inward looking and senior officers had too much control.
'Change is needed'
"I have given this much thought and I feel the council is not democratic," he said.
"It is too dominated by a small number of councillors taking all the decisions and the officers just run rings around them.
"Change is needed and the Liberal Democrats are the only ones trying to hold the council to account."
His decision was welcomed by Liberal Democrat group leader David Nolan.
"He is a long-standing and experienced councillor and works hard for his residents," he said.
"We know that one or two Conservative councillors are feeling uneasy about elections next year and are putting out feelers."
A spokesperson for the Conservative group said: "We are saddened and disappointed that councillor Charlie Bayram, after many years of service for the residents of Howden and Howdenshire, has decided to step down from the Conservative Party.
"This follows the decision not to approve him to stand as a candidate in the 2023 local elections made by his local association."
The defection means the Conservative's have 44 councillors and the Liberal Democrats 11.
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