A Bolton councillor who was first elected as a Conservative has announced that she is joining Labour.

Cllr Bev Fletcher was first elected to represent the Breightmet Ward as a Tory in May 2019 but says she quickly became disaffected with the ruling party.

She quit the Tory party in January 2021 but until now has continued to sit as an independent.

Cllr Fletcher said: “I became disillusioned with the Conservatives at Bolton Council not long after being elected, and left the Conservative Party due to this.

“The actions of the government and the Conservative Party recently, but also over the last few years, has only strengthened my conviction and that I did the right thing.

The Bolton News: Power could change hands at town hall with next year's electionPower could change hands at town hall with next year's election (Image: Newsquest)

“Being an independent councillor enabled me the time to sit, watch and evaluate the parties.”

Cllr Fletcher’s decision to join Labour comes with the Conservatives still in control of the council as a minority administration.

The Conservatives currently have 26 members sitting on the council, with Cllr Fletcher’s decision bringing Labour’s up to 19 while the Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties have a total of 15.

But all out elections set for May next year could see power change hands at town hall and Cllr Fletcher says she intends now to campaign for a Labour victory.

She said: “I have thought long and hard over time about the future of Bolton but always came back to the same conclusion, that the party I feel truly represents Bolton is the Labour Party, both nationally and locally and are best placed to fix our broken society.

“I look forward to working with Nick and the Labour team over the coming months and will do all I can to help secure a Labour council next year.”

Bolton Labour Group Leader Cllr Nick Peel said “It’s great to have Bev on board with us.

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“She joins a dedicated team of people committed to bringing about improvements to the Bolton Borough.

“Bev has been a strong advocate, both for her constituents in Breightmet ward, but also for improvements to services across Bolton and I welcome the knowledge and experience that she will bring to our team.”