Councillor quits Tories on finely-balanced council

A councillor has quit the Conservative group on a finely-balanced council in Leicestershire.

Russell Boam said he had left the Tory group on North West Leicestershire District Council on Tuesday.

The Conservatives are part of an 18-strong alliance of Liberal Democrats and independents that runs the authority.

Boam said he had made the decision because of concerns about the way the Conservative Party was being run in the local area.

The district council has been under no overall political control since the last election in May 2023.

Labour is currently the largest party on the authority, holding 17 of the 38 available seats. There are two non-aligned independent councillors.

The Leicestershire and Leicester Areas Conservatives said Boam's decision was an "absurd stunt" ahead of an upcoming by-election triggered by the death of former Tory councillor Nick Rushton.

Boam said he intended to continue representing the Valley ward and would still vote with his former Tory colleagues in the council chamber.

He also told the BBC he had stopped paying for membership of the Conservative Party "a while ago", but had continued to sit with the group on the council.

Boam said: "My decision to resign is based on the current leadership of the North West Leicestershire Conservative Association (NWLCA) 'under' Craig Smith."

Smith is the county councillor for Coalville but told the BBC that he was not an executive member of the NWLCA.

Boam said he disagreed with the way Smith had been selected to represent the Tories in the Long Whatton and Diseworth by-election on 1 October.

"He got himself selected and there were plenty of other people who live nearer to the ward who wanted to do it," Boam added.

"Having served as an elected member for more than 15 years, I find I can no longer continue under the association's current management style and do not wish to be associated with it."

Boam, whose son Joseph is a Reform UK Leicestershire county councillor, said: "I've not been happy with things for a little while."

Smith told the BBC he could not comment and referred the matter to NWLCA chair Keith Merrie.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Merrie said: "The only person who is not happy is councillor Boam.

"Russell is his own man, and he's free to say whatever he says, but the association followed all the rules to get an emergency candidate following the death of councillor Rushton.

"We opted to go for Craig, and he was duly elected and went through the vetting process, and everything was done above board."

Leicester and Leicestershire Conservative area chairman Phil King said: "Mr Boam has not been a paid-up member of the Conservative Party for around three years.

"He therefore cannot resign from a party of which he is not a member.

"What he has actually done is leave the Conservative group on North West Leicestershire District Council, where he has continued to sit, and declared that he will now sit as an independent."

King added was misleading to say Smith was leading the NWLCA as he was not on its management team or executive.

He said: "What Craig is, however, is a highly effective Conservative county councillor for Coalville North and the Conservative candidate in the forthcoming Long Whatton and Diseworth by-election."

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