Councillor claims Aylesbury Liberal Democrats in ‘disarray’ after five politicians quit

Mary Baldwin, Anders Christensen, Sarah James, Steven Lambert and Adam Poland-Goodyer are all now listed as Independents on Buckinghamshire Council’s website.

The group were elected to serve on the unitary authority in 2021 and all represent wards in Aylesbury.

Councillors Baldwin, Christensen and Lambert are also members of Aylesbury Town Council, on which they also now sit as Independents, rather than Lib Dems.

A town council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that four Aylesbury Town councillors have resigned from the Liberal Democrat party and are continuing as Independent councillors for Aylesbury Town Council.”

Town councillor Mohammed Azam, a former Lib Dem, is also sitting as an Independent. He is not a member of Bucks Council.

Councillor Poland-Goodyer said the Lib Dems in Aylesbury were in ‘disarray’ , explaining the party had ‘moved away’ from him and that he felt he could ‘no longer work with’ it.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Longstanding local members of the party are being sidelined. Some materials that have gone out already this election have been slightly misleading.”

His ward colleague in Aylesbury West, Councillor James, also said there were ‘values and behaviours’ in the Lib Dems that were ‘no longer compatible with the standards required to hold public office’.

She added: “We believe councillors should represent the communities they live in, rather than being placed in deemed safe seats and residents’ votes being taken for granted.”

However, Liberal Democrat Group leader Councillor Susan Morgan defended her party and told the LDRS they wished their ‘former colleagues well for the future’.

She said: “The Liberal Democrats in Buckinghamshire remain focused on standing up for our communities, including health and social care, standing up for our green spaces and delivering value for money.

“The Conservatives have taken Buckinghamshire for granted for decades. Across our county, people are turning to the Liberal Democrats as true local champions for their area who always stand up for residents.”

But the leader of the Conservative-run Bucks Council Martin Tett claimed the Lib Dem resignations showed the party was being ‘plunged into chaos’.

He told the LDRS: “While the Lib Dems indulge in in-fighting and self-doubt, Conservatives in Buckinghamshire are getting on with the job, focusing on residents’ priorities like raising our investment in roads from £100 million to £120 million.”

However, the Conservatives have also suffered resignations in Bucks, the most recent of which saw Councillor Paul Irwin defect to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK last week.

The Tories also lost Councillor Jonathan Waters who defected to the Lib Dems in November and Councillor Diana Blamires, who announced the same month she was ditching the Conservatives to stand as an Independent.

The changes in Buckinghamshire’s political landscape come ahead of the local elections on May 1 in around two months’ time.

Voters will elect their chosen representatives to Buckinghamshire Council, which will see its current 147 members be reduced to 97 at this election.

Councillor James and Councillor Poland-Goodyer are both standing for re-election as Independents and said they were ‘proud’ of their ‘14 years’ service to Aylesbury in voluntary and council roles’.

Councillor Poland-Goodyer added: “We feel that local people, working for their local areas have the best interests of their community at heart. We have all chosen to live here, work here and send our children to school here. Those shipped in candidates do not get that.”

Their other ward colleague Steven Lambert told the LDRS he was not standing again in the May election as he has chosen to leave politics and focus on his career.

He said: “It is now time for me to go. Politicians, I feel, need to recognise when it is time to leave the stage. Some politicians don’t. I do. I am 54 and I have done 21 years. I have loved it, but it is time to look at new challenges.”

The councillor came third in last year’s general election as he stood as the Lib Dem candidate for Aylesbury.

Asked why he was leaving the Lib Dems, he said: “For me it is a positive move. It is something that I am looking forward to doing.”

Councillor Lambert said he was interviewing for roles that were ‘politically restrictive’, explaining he hoped to go into something ‘totally different’.

Councillor Baldwin and Christensen have been approached for comment.