Councillor quits Tory group after 27 years

A Rustington councillor has resigned from the Tory group on Arun District Council after 27 years.
Rustington East's Graham Tyler has become an Independent after resigning from Arun District Council's Tory groupRustington East's Graham Tyler has become an Independent after resigning from Arun District Council's Tory group
Rustington East's Graham Tyler has become an Independent after resigning from Arun District Council's Tory group

Graham Tyler, one of two representatives for Rustington East, will continue as an Independent.

He said he would consult residents before making a decision on whether or not to stand for re-election in 2019.

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Mr Tyler added: “Over the past months I have become very disillusioned with what is happening in the Tory Party, and whilst this in no way reflects on the Tory group at Arun, I felt out of courtesy that as I no longer was a party member the right thing was to resign and become a completely independent councillor so as I could represent the residents of Rustington East with a completely clear conscience.

“I have been a Tory councillor since 1991 and it is not without sadness that I came to my decision.”

Mr Tyler is also a Rustington parish councillor for the East ward.

Up until last June, he was also a West Sussex county councillor representing Rustington, but was unseated by Lib Dem Daniel Purchese.

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Reacting to the news, Gillian Brown, Conservative leader of Arun District Council, said: “He [Graham} is a long standing friend of mine and I am extremely sorry to have lost him from our group and I will miss him greatly.”