Tunbridge Wells Alliance members step down
Published: 17:14, 24 January 2020
Updated: 18:53, 24 January 2020
Two opposition councillors in Tunbridge Wells have resigned.
Alliance party chairman Dr Robert Chris and members Christian Atwood and Becki Bruneau have announced they will be stepping from their role at the borough council.
Their resignation has been looming for a while after they had all intimated they were considering leaving.
A spokesperson for the group said all the exits were related.
It is claimed the process of selecting the group leader late last year lit the fuse for the losses.
Mr Chris took over after Bob Atwood, the co-founder and former group leader, resigned.
Controversially, the appointment was decided by the chairman of the party without consulting the rest of the members and many felt it wasn't right.
Mrs Bruneau stated she decided to quit she was "feeling that she was not achieving what she intended."
Additionally, Mr Atwood said he left because he believed his father had been forced to step down.
Acknowledging the issues were partly his responsibility, Mr Chris has also resigned.
Four Alliance councillors now remain in the borough.
The group began in a bid to challenge the Calverley Square Project.
Councillors were successful in their aim but it was revealed earlier this week that the cancellation of the plans will cost more than £10million.
A spokesman for Alliance said: "The need to clarify that we are not a single issue party is paramount and the successes in bringing about change in areas other than Calverley Square should be highlighted.
"We must continue to question the Urbaser situation (the company responsible for bin collection in the town), have a thorough and truly independent audit of the Calverley Square Project, scrutinise the governance of all major projects so as not to repeat mistakes, deal with the bullying culture in the Council, and highlight and address the many borough wide issues.
"We have shown we can work together to improve the council, working with councillors from other parties, for the people of the borough, and not for national political party interests."
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Lydia Catling