A new party of three councillors has been formed on Bath & North East Somerset Council.
The Guildhall in Bath
Gavin Heathcote and Karen Walker, who had jointly represented the Peasedown St John ward as Independents, have now linked up with Chris Warren, who was elected as a councillor in the Saltford by-election in January.
Although Councillor Warren had stood on an ‘Independent’ platform, he was placed in an ‘unaligned’ category by himself following his win due to controversy over a social media account.
The new group is called ‘Independents for B&NES’. Four councillors remain in the original group.
The account on X, formerly known as Twitter, was called @the_grieve and had been set up 2019. It was taken down the day after the Saltford by-election.
It had included pictures of Mr Warren, his cars and his house. It contained obscene and insulting posts including of a misogynistic, homophobic and racist nature.
When interviewed about the account in the week before the election, Mr Warren, who is a former chair of Saltford Parish Council, said he had been “trolled”.
He won the seat just four votes ahead of the Liberal Democrat candidate. The by-election had been triggered by the resignation of Liberal Democrat councillor Alison Streatfeild-James.
Chris Warren, second from left, with supporters including former councillor Nathan Hartley | Photo © John Wimperis
Remaining in the original group of Independents on B&NES Council are Colin Blackburn and June Player, who both represent the Westmoreland ward in Bath, Alan Hale (Keynsham South) and Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North) who is the group’s spokesperson.
Yesterday, Thursday 10th April, the B&NES Independent Councillor Group sent the Bath Echo a statement saying: “As a group of elected councillors, we are naturally disappointed by the decision of Councillors Walker and Heathcote to leave the Independent Group and join up with Councillor Chris Warren.
“Perhaps it goes without saying, but for clarity: the Independent Group is not a political party and does not have a formal leader.
“It operates as a collaborative body, with each member having an equal say in the group’s activities and direction.
“Decisions regarding membership have always been made democratically, with each member entitled to a vote. Following this process, the group voted not to accept Chris Warren into the group at this time, due to concerns over a lack of clarity surrounding a controversial social media X account.
“We stand by our original group decision to defer Chris’s acceptance for six months, allowing him time to disprove any association with the X account — something which, sadly, has not yet happened — while also offering Chris our help and support as a newly-elected B&NES councillor.
“The Independent Group remains focused on supporting residents and scrutinising council decisions through its extensive work on committees and panels.
“Our achievements are largely due to maintaining independence and avoiding party-political distractions.
“While we are saddened that Karen and Gavin have chosen to leave the group, we wish them well for the future.”
Councillors Karen Walker and Gavin Heathcote on Bath Road in Peasedown St John
A press release was issued on behalf of Independents for B&NES yesterday. The group is described as “a new political cause that not only wants to put local people first but wants to provide a strong voice for non-party politics across the district”.
It says the new group is led by Karen Walker and its campaign commitments include putting people first, cutting red tape and calling for an immediate halt to all low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) plans.
The Bath Echo has approached Councillors Heathcote and Walker asking them if they wish to comment on their decision to break away and link up with Councillor Warren.
We have also asked Councillor Warren if he wishes to comment.
