Two Ely councillors have quit the Liberal Democrats to become Independent due to “party politics”.
Cllr Sue Austen and Cllr Paola Trimarco, both councillors for Ely West in East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC), announced that they have left the Liberal Democratic group of the council today (February 21).
Sue Austen, who is mayor elect of the City of Ely and vice chair of ECDC, has lived in the district for more than 40 years and has been an ECDC councillor since 2007.
She has served on Ely Parish Council since 2015.
She said: "I've enjoyed doing my council work for the past 13 years, and I will continue to support and represent my ward members.
"I will also continue to work with my council colleagues. I believe that party politics should not come into local government."
Dr Paola Trimarco has lived in Cambridgeshire since 1998 and was elected to ECDC in May 2019.
She's a writer and linguist and works for The Open University.
She said: "I've enjoyed my council work and the chance to serve my community.
"Even though I'm a relative newcomer to the council, too often I've seen party politics cloud people's better judgement.
"I'd prefer to work across parties, especially now given the climate crisis and the many challenges facing the district. I think I can better serve Ely West Ward as an Independent councillor."
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