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Balance of power on knife-edge again as councillor quits Tories
Herald Express
|May 28, 2025
TORBAY Council's knife-edge political balance has shifted again after a Brixham councillor decided to stand down from the ruling Conservative group to become an independent.
Jason Hutchings (Furzeham with Summercombe) said in a statement he felt he was being "held back" and unable to speak his mind.
He said he would still support what the Conservatives were doing in Torbay, but his decision could make him the most powerful man on the local authority.
His resignation from the group leaves the Conservatives with 17 councillors, plus him as a Conservative-leaning independent.
The opposition group of Liberal Democrats and independents has 18 councillors.
In practice, a number of important recent debates have split down party lines, and have been decided on the casting vote of the mayor - currently, and in the recent past, a Conservative.
If Cllr Hutchings votes with his former Conservative colleagues, the Tory administration will hold sway.
This story is from the May 28, 2025 edition of Herald Express.
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