ANOTHER Thurrock councillor has announced he is leaving the Thurrock Independents Group but unlike recent defectors says he will stand under his own name for re-election.

Tilbury St Chads ward councillor Cllr John Allen, won his seat standing as a UKIP candidate in 2016, beating Labour stalwart Lynn Worrall by 36 votes. In 2018 he became one of the founder members of the Independent Group as all the UKIP councillors decided to stand as a united group concentrating on local issues after securing their primary aim of winning a referendum to leave the EU.

Today (Monday, 3 February), Cllr Allen has announced that he is leaving the Thurrock Independents Group with immediate effect and he will stand as a non-aligned Independent in the local elections in May 2020.

Cllr Allen said: "I very much look forward to standing as an independent candidate. I think it's fair to say that I've done my very best as a councillor over the last four years. I hope that the residents of Tilbury St Chads can put their faith in me again and give me the honour of serving them for another four years.

"Last year's local and general elections seem to indicate that Tilbury has had enough of decades of neglect under Labour. Thankfully voters in May will have an option of voting for a born and bred Tilbury Independent, who hasn't let them down since 2016, and won't let them down if re-elected.

"I leave the Thurrock Independents on extremely good terms and with close friendships that will endure this decision."

Cllr Allen's decision leaves the Independent Group with just five councillors, and with its leader Cllr Luke Spillman having already said he will be relinquishing his post in May and Cllr Jack Duffin announcing he will not be standing, that will leave just Cllrs Chris Baker (Belhus), Gary Byrne (Homesteads) and Jennifer Smith (Stifford Clays) who all won their seats last May in situ.

The Conservatives currently have 26 members on the council and now have a majority following recent defections from the Independent Group and Cllr Abbie Akinbohun having jumped ship from Labour. Though they have the majority, only 20 of the group were actually elected as Conservatives.