Defection shock as Wiltshire Councillor joins Tories

A Wiltshire Councillor with a controversial political past has joined the Conservatives, saying he is dismayed with the Liberal Democrat administration.

Russell Hawker – a former Tory – was elected as an independent for Warminster West at the council elections in May, but said his Independent colleagues were propping up the administration.

The Liberal Democrats – who won the greatest number of seats, but not enough to command a majority – formed a minority administration after the election.

But the ruling party has struggled to get important motions through full council. Earlier this month a proposal to dispose of the multi-storey car park in Trowbridge to a shopping centre owner, along with £2.5 million to redevelop the site, was defeated.

The defection of Cllr Hawker to the Conservatives make the numbers even tighter. The Liberal Democrats now have 43 councillors, the Conservatives 38, Reform UK 10, and Labour one. The Independent group is reduced from seven to six.

He has been a Wiltshire Councillor since the unitary authority was formed in 2009. He currently chairs Warminster Area Board and is a member of the Western Area Planning Committee and Health Select Committee.

In a statement, he said: “I stood for election to represent residents living in Warminster, as well as all others across the county.

“I’ve been thinking long and hard about the best way for me to work with other local Wiltshire Councillors in and around Warminster to get things done, as they are all Conservative.

“More recently, however, following the diabolical handling of the St Stephen’s multi-storey Car Park deal in Trowbridge, the closure of two important recycling centres in the north of the county, and ongoing issues with transparency and accountability, I realised something had to change. And I have concluded that now is the time to do something about it.

“Frankly, enough is enough.”

He added: “I don’t want Warminster West residents to assume that I am one of the Independents who are actively supporting the atrocious LibDem cabinet or even taking part as a paid member of the cabinet.

“I stood for election to support local residents; it has become completely clear to me that I can serve them best as a Conservative councillor.

“Time and time again over the last six months I have seen the Conservatives in Wiltshire bring effective scrutiny to all areas of council business and firmly oppose policies that will harm residents and businesses, and over time I’ve been working more closely with them anyway.”

Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of the Conservative Group, added, “I have known and worked with Russell for years on Wiltshire Council. He has always been an effective and thoughtful advocate for residents, and I am delighted that he has decided to join the Conservative Group. ”

Ernie Clark, chairman of Wiltshire Council’s independent group, said: “I am intrigued to see that Russell has now decided that his loyalty, once again, is with the Conservative party.

“As a man of integrity, I am sure that he will resign his seat and fight the resultant by-election under his new party colours.

“Not to do so would surely be an insult to the 295 people who voted for him as an Independent, and to the 293 others who voted for the Reform UK candidate, in the May ’25 election.

“Independent councillors are elected by their residents to do the best for their local area and Wiltshire as a whole.

“Their voting record is open to public scrutiny and does not show favour towards either of the two largest political groups on the council.”

Cllr Hawker represented the Conservatives on West Wilts District Council and Westbury Town Council, to which he was elected in 2003, but quit the party to sit as an independent in 2005 after complaints were made about his conduct. He said the Conservatives had failed to defend him against the allegations.

In 2013 he was sanctioned by Wiltshire Council’s standards sub-committee, following a hearing into a code of conduct complaint made against the Wiltshire and Westbury councillor.

A standards hearing decided that Cllr Hawker was in breach of the old code of conduct after failing to treat Ian Taylor with respect on three separate occasions in October and November of 2011.