Disgruntled Tory swings to left with Liberals

Coun John Savage, who sits on both North Yorkshire County Council and Harrogate Borough Council, revealed he has signed up for the Liberals after leaving the Tory groups on both authorities in August.

Coun Savage also resigned over a 25-year waste management strategy for North Yorkshire, which includes contentious plans for an incinerator.

He claimed his decision to join the Liberal Party had been driven by a desire to "help the under-privileged" and added: "I do sincerely believe that the major cutbacks in public spending are going to hit the poorest sections of society the hardest.

"I want to help the elderly and the deprived, and that is why I have joined the Liberal Party."

Coun Savage will now serve as a Liberal county councillor for the Ainsty division. He represents Marston Moor ward on Harrogate Borough Council.

The only other Liberal Party member on the county council is Coun John Clark, who represents the Pickering division and is also a member of Ryedale District Council.

He said: "It is a brave move by John, and I was surprised when he told me.

"But there needs to be a strong opposition to the Conservative administration on the county council, and hopefully John and I can supply the leadership for this opposition."

Coun Savage has been one of the most vocal critics of North Yorkshire's new waste management strategy which was announced in June.

He has claimed the project is "wrong financially, environmentally and in health terms" and wants more emphasis on recycling instead of incineration.