One of Wirral’s Green councillors has resigned from the party to sit with the borough’s independents.
Steve Hayes left the Green Party late on Friday but said he would continue to represent Birkenhead and Tranmere “with the same vigour as before”.
But Cllr Hayes remained silent on his reasons for leaving the party. In a statement, he said: “Local residents will remain unaffected by the change. There will still be three councillors to contact.
“The plans for the future re-development of our town is looking very special and of course I will continue to push for the best they can be. At the same time I will continue to encourage needed and necessary environmental changes required to help safeguard our future and your children’s future.
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“I especially wish to thank the local members of the Green Party for the support they have given me in the past. I have no further comment to make at this point in time.”
Cllr Hayes’ resignation leaves the Greens with just two councillors on Wirral Council and brings the independents’ numbers up to four, making them the fourth largest group behind the Liberal Democrats.
Green group leader Cllr Pat Cleary said he was “disappointed” by Cllr Hayes’ decision.
He said: “It’s not easy for the Green Party to get councillors elected, it’s a difficult system for us, so it’s disappointing but that’s life.
“We will still be working with him on the council.”
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