The Conservative opposition group on Cambridgeshire County Council has seen yet another of its councillors move quit. As from today Cllr Keith Prentice, the Conservative councillor for St Neots Priory Park & Little Paxton, lists himself on the county council website as an independent.
Cllr Prentice, I am told, has already held talks with at least one other independent on the council about his decision.
It is the latest blow for Tory opposition leader Steve Count who has seen a number of Conservative councillors elected or re-elected 2021 either switch parties or move across to be an independent councillor.
Tories rocked by another resignation from Cambridgeshire County Council
Cllr Prentice is a former Huntingdonshire district councillor and at one stage was executive councillor for leisure and regulatory services. He lost his seat in 2022 along with two Conservative colleagues in St. Neots Priory Park & Little Paxton Ward to three independents.
Conservative at Cambridgeshire County Council leaves Conservative group
It was a moment of change for the district council which saw the Tories lose control – for the first time since 1976.
Cllr Prentice is yet to publicly give reasons for his switch, but it will be another blow for the Conservatives ahead of a crucial General Election. On his X profile (formerly Twitter), Cllr Prentice lists one of his interests as that of deputy chair of Huntingdon Constituency Conservative Association – Eatons branch.
Fresh hammer blow for Tories at Cambridgeshire County Council as another councillor quits party
In 2021 he had a comfortable victory to win his county council seat, polling 1,237 votes, with Lib Dem candidate Geoffrey Seef a far from close second with 662 votes. Labour polled 402 votes and the Greens 352 votes.
