A councillor who was booted out of the Conservative group at Bracknell Town Council has now been re-admitted.
Councillor Malcolm Tullett (Conservative, Old Bracknell) caused a stir in the Conservative ranks when he decided to leave the Bracknell Forest party group.
At the time, he said he had left because he felt he “could not properly represent” voters as a member of the group.
He was subsequently booted out of the Bracknell Town Council Conservative group even though he expressed a desire to remain a member of that group.
READ MORE: Former Bracknell Conservative reacts to being booted from his responsibilities
But now Cllr Tullett has been re-admitted after he appealed the decision, which was upheld in an internal party review.
In response to a request for comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Tullett said: “Following the voiding of my Conservative Group membership, at Bracknell Town Council, I raised an appeal.
“This was heard and upheld by the Bracknell Conservative Association (BCA) executive management team.
“Accordingly, I remain, as I always have been, a committed Conservative councillor, proud to serve the residents of my ward and the wider community.”
News of Cllr Tullett’s re-admission was seen when his party affiliation on the Bracknell Town Council website went from ‘Other’ to ‘Conservative’ recently.
Bracknell Labour accused the Conservatives of ‘absurd’ political infighting when an attempt was made to boot Cllr Tullett from his position as the chairman of the environmental services committee.
In a vote, fellow Conservatives James Alexander (Great Hollands South) and Stuart Foston (Old Bracknell) broke ranks and voted to keep Cllr Tullett as the chairman.
Gerry Barber, the chairman of the Bracknell Conservative Association, declined to comment on Cllr Tullett’s re-admission, as it is an internal party matter.
READ MORE: Residents vote in their thousands on town plan which will shape Bracknell for years to come
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has attempted to contact Cllr Chris Turrell (Conservative, Harmans Water), the leader of Bracknell Town Council, about Cllr Tullett’s re-admission into the town Conservative group, but has not received a response.
Cllr Tullett remains an ‘Independent Conservative’ on Bracknell Forest Council. His resignation from the Bracknell Forest Conservative group meant he was stripped from his positions on six council committees and two working groups. However, he did retain his position on the Governance and Audit Committee and the Licensing and Safety Committee.
Throughout the controversy, Cllr Tullett remained a fee-paying member of the national Conservative party.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here