South Kesteven councillor quits reform 20 days after joining
Councillor Mark Whittington will now sit as an independent
A Grantham councillor who quit the Conservatives to join Reform UK earlier this month has stepped down from the party.
Councillor Mark Whittington will now sit on South Kesteven District Council as an unaligned independent member.
He left the Tories 20 days ago on October 7, telling the media that his former party was “over” and had failed to deliver change.
Councillor Whittinghton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service his reasons for leaving Reform were personal and “related to my Twitter and Facebook posts regarding my recent health issues”.
He is currently recovering from a mini stroke and bleed on the brain he suffered earlier this month.
The Reform group now consists of three councillors on South Kesteven District Council.
A fellow councillor lasted just 11 days with Reform earlier this year.
Councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew switched her allegiance on February 28, then became an independent on March 11, with the national party saying she was never authorised to represent it.
Cllr Whittington was elected for Barrowby Gate ward in 2019 and served as a cabinet member while the authority was Conservative-controlled.
He lost his seat on Lincolnshire County Council in May’s Reform landslide.