Home News New independent group formed by Batley councillor
New independent group formed by Batley councillor
A COUNCILLOR has severed all ties with the Labour Party and set up a new 'Batley Independents' political group.
Batley East representative Amanda Stubley who was suspended by the regional Labour Party in November after clashing with protesters in Batley Market Place, is now sitting as an independent Kirklees councillor.
Mother-of-two Coun Stubley, 46, is in the process of setting up her new group with a number of local supporters.
A former tenants' campaigner who took office in 2011, Coun Stubley was last elected in May 2015, when she polled 63 per cent of the vote in Batley East.
She became embroiled in a very public row with protesters during the Batley & Spen Parliamentary by-election campaign.
Her furious exchange with English Democrat supporters was filmed and later broadcast on Channel 4 News.
Following her suspension, Coun Stubley has cut ties with all levels of the Labour Party, locally and nationally, and has announced her priorities for Batley East.
"I've got a team of 10 people helping to set up the Batley Independents," she said. "We want to save Batley Town Hall and run our group from there, and also re-start bulky waste collections. The way the council is being run is criminal. I became a councillor to make a difference and I want the support of the people of Batley to do that."
Coun Stubley also wants to see a redistribution of the cash spent on elected members in Kirklees, with smaller allowances for cabinet members and heads of committees, and more money given to all councillors equally.
"We should take it from the top down and redistribute it more fairly among all councillors," she added.
"I've even suggested to them that we cut our numbers to two councillors per ward to show that we're all in this together."
Coun Stubley's term runs until May 2018.
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