Lib Dem Gain From Conservative Defection

11.08.25am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 15th Jul 2009

Ruth Davies & Steve Webb welcome Sarah Turley (left) to the Lib Dems

Councillor Sarah Turley (Boyd Valley) has announced her decision to resign from the Conservative group on South Gloucestershire Council and has joined the Liberal Democrats.

Sarah said: "When I stood for election last year I was determined to stand up for my local community. Unfortunately, over the last year I have found that my work has been undermined by members of the Conservative group on the Council. In particular, when I wanted to speak up on behalf of local residents against the in-vessel composter, I was discouraged from doing so. "At the same time I have worked closely with community campaigners, many of whom are members of the local Liberal Democrats, and this is the way that I want to work. I feel that I can no longer serve local people most effectively as a member of the Conservative group.

Liberal Democrat group leader Ruth Davis said: "We very much welcome Sarah to the team. She is a very capable and respected councillor and shares our commitment to the environment and to standing up for her local community. We welcome her to the group".