A SCATHING Facebook post from a member of the Conservative-run Bracknell Forest Council cabinet has backed the Liberal Democrats in neighbouring Wokingham ahead of elections next week.

Marc Brunel-Walker, the executive member for Economic Development and Regeneration at Bracknell Forest declared his support for Lib Dem Jordan Montgomery in Wokingham Borough Council’s Wokingham Without ward, in a impassioned post on Facebook on Thursday, April 27.

One third of Wokingham Borough Council is up for election on Thursday, May 4, while voters will have their say on every single seat in Bracknell Forest.

Cllr Brunel-Walker has been a Conservative councillor for 20 years, ever since he was first elected in 2003. He currently represents Crown Wood Ward. But late last year, the councillor announced that he would not stand again, and has since been a vocal critic of the Conservatives on social media.

In his post to the Facebook group Crowthorne Chaos, he said: “As you know, I am retiring from Bracknell Forest Council (OK I would have stood one more time but frankly I have p***** off the local association because I have dared to criticise the MP and the government).

“This time – I am thinking of what’s the best for me as a resident. I am backing Jordan Monthomery to be our next elected councillor. I’m doing that because I think he is head and shoulders the better candidate, he has done more to engage with residents than any of our current councillors, and because frankly I am fed up with the lies and broken promises of the local Conservatives.”

He added that he “doesn’t trust the Conservatives in Wokingham to protect our ward from over development,” and that he would be voting Lib Dem “for the first time in my life”.

He also noted in a following comment that “this public show of faith and endorsement of an opposition candidate would be enough to probably have me thrown out of the party”.

In return, Jordan Montgomery thanked cllr Brunel-Walker for his support.

The candidate is standing to unseat Conservative councillor Chris Bowring, with the seat also contested by Labour’s Rona Noble. The ward is represented by three councillors, with one seat up for grabs at each election.

Chris Bowring was last elected in 2019 with 1,184 votes—52.1 percent of the total. But it was a closer contest between Montgomery and Conservative Dave Davies in the same seat last year—with the Tory taking 47.1 percent against the Lib Dem’s 40.9 percent.

Chris Bowring told the Local Democracy News Service: “My campaign is going very well. I’m getting very good reactions on the doorstep. People are concerned about the Liberal Democrats’ failure to take note of people’s views.” He added, for example “they didn’t give voters the opportunity to say whether they wish to keep weekly bin collections”.