Two Northamptonshire Tory councillors cross floor to UKIP

Councillor Stephen Pointer and Councillor Elizabeth Wiig said they felt ‘let down’ by the Conservative party so have left to represent UKIP.

Councillor Pointer, who was embroiled in a row over the council-funding of iPads for politicians in August, said: “I got disillusioned with the Conservative party about seven months ago. I’m sick and tired of the way David Cameron carries on not caring about local people, and that’s the reason I decided to leave.

“Another reason was that as a Conservative I was having to agree to houses being built where we don’t want them to be built in Brixworth and I didn’t want that.”

Councillor Pointer will inform his constituents of his decision shortly, though he believes representing a different party won’t bring much of a change on a local level.

He said: “Some people may be unhappy with my decision but it’s not going to alter what I do and what I fight for.”

Councillor Wiig echoed Councillor Pointer’s sentiments, insisting it was the right decision for them.

She said: “We both feel very let down by the Conservative party. We don’t feel they’re supporting local people anymore and not supporting local issues.

“We’ve thought about the move to UKIP long and hard and it has been a difficult decision to make, but we both felt it was the right thing to do.”

The leader of the district council, Conservative councillor Chris Millar, said: “Obviously it’s disappointing when Conservatives decide to move to another party, but I have to respect their decision and their individual views.”

Councillor Millar said the defection leaves 28 Conservatives councillors on Daventry District Council, making up the majority of the council.

There are also five Labour councillors, one Liberal Democrat and now two UKIP members.