Leeds City Council: Pudsey councillor quits Conservative Party saying she had 'no option' but to resign

Trish Smith, who has represented Pudsey since 2019, announced she had resigned her membership after this year’s local elections. She will remain in post as an Independent.

Her resignation comes after three of her former Tory colleagues lost their seats in the elections on May 2, while the Labour administration held onto power at the city council.

Coun Smith would not comment further on the reasons for her decision, but told the YEP: “I don’t believe you need to be in a party to represent people. It’s about representing everyone without fear or favour as well and as fairly as you can.”

She added: “There are lots of things that you can’t do locally, but there are lots that you can. I firmly believe we as elected members should be doing everything we can to help.”

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Coun Alan Lamb, the leader of the Conservative group at Leeds City Council, said that he was notified of Coun Smith’s decision “immediately after the election count”.

He said: “It’s disappointing when someone wants to leave us, but I thanked her for her service and wish her well going forward.”

Coun Smith announced her decision in a statement on her Facebook page.

It said: “I have taken the very difficult decision to resign from the Conservative Party. I feel I have no option but to take this action. I will, for now at least, remain your local councillor.”

She paid tribute to former colleagues who lost their seats, while promising to continue with casework, including a project focusing on Pudsey Town Hall.

Coun Smith told the YEP that since resigning her Tory membership, she has had “lovely comments” from residents who “completely understand” her decision.