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13
Jun 2023
‘I feel liberated’: Harrogate Lib Dem councillor goes independent
Harrogate councillor Michael Schofield has left the Liberal Democrats and will sit as an independent on North Yorkshire Council.
Cllr Schofield was elected in May 2022 in the Harlow and St Georges division after winning 45% of the vote.
However, after just over a year he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this morning that with the Lib Dems preparing for a potential general election next year he has stepped away from the party to focus on local issues.
He said:
Read more:
- Power share bid fails at Harrogate and Knaresborough council committee
- Conservatives lose majority on North Yorkshire Council
Cllr Schofield, who is the landlord of the Shepherds Dog pub on Harlow Hill, said he apologised to any of the voters who voted for him because of his former political affiliation but added that he’s not a “national political animal”.
He said some of his former Lib Dem colleagues are “probably not happy” with his decision but he said he now feels liberated free of the party machine.
He added:
Cllr Schofield’s decision to stand as an independent follows similar moves by councillors on different parties in recent months.
In April, Scarborough councillor Tony Randerson resigned from the Labour party and stood as an independent in a by-election that he won.
This week Conservative councillor for Camblesforth, Mike Jordan, quit the party citing dismay with the national party.
North Yorkshire Council has 45 Tory members and the same number of Liberal Democrat, Liberals, Labour, Green and Independent councillors.
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