A third Labour councillor has decided to quit in the space of a few months.
Councillor Elizabeth Atkins, who represents the Ashton ward, has resigned from Preston Labour.
She will now sit as an independent councillor, joining former cabinet member Carol Henshaw who in August confirmed she had declined the Labour whip and crossed the floor to be an independent although she is widely expected to join the Your Party movement.
Read more: Preston City Council to step in to help those struggling as a result of government benefit caps
Councillor Atkins move means the Ashton ward now has one remaining Labour councillor James Hull, her as an independent and one Liberal Democrat after their victory in a by-election last week following the resignation of former council leader Robert Boswell which triggered the poll. The ward was previously a three-seat Labour ward.
Liz Atkins is the widow of Preston Labour legend Ron Atkins who served as MP for Preston North between 1966 and 1970 and again from 1974 to 1979. He died in 2020 aged 104 and was a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.
A Preston City Council spokesperson confirmed Cllr Atkins would be sitting as an independent councillor and no by-election would be held.
Blog Preston has approached Cllr Atkins for comment on her decision.
Council leader and Preston Labour leader Matthew Brown confirmed she had resigned from the party and would be commenting further on the decision in due course.
The resignation leaves Labour remaining as the largest party in the Town Hall with 26 councillors and a majority, with the Liberal Democrats as the official opposition with 14 councillors.
The Conservatives have five councillors, there’s two independent councillors and one Reform UK councillor making up the 48 councillors in total at the Town Hall.
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