Four councillors quit the official Conservative Group on the Metro only days after the local elections.

Wigan Central's councillor Gareth Fairhurst, his father Coun George Fairhurst (Standish with Langtree), his wife Coun Debra Fairhurst (Shevington with Lower Ground) and his sister Coun Angela Bland (Shevington with Lower Ground) resigned on Tuesday.

In a letter to Metro chief executive Joyce Redfearn, they stated that they will be voting as the Metro's first Independent Conservative Group. The walkout is a devastating blow to the council's official Tories.

The four rebels and Wigan Conservatives leader Coun Mike Winstanley refused to comment to the Post today.

But there has been simmering tension within the Tories for months over Coun Gareth Fairhurst's own claims to the group leadership.

A spokesman for the North West Regional Conservative Party said: "We are very disappointed at the decision taken by these four councillors coming so soon after the fantastic local election results, not least winning the first councillor in Leigh for more than 30 years.

"We think that the electorate is going to be as surprised and confused by the decision as we are.

"The members of the official Conservative group on Wigan Council have a manifesto that they will continue to work hard to achieve without the support of these four councillors and we look forward to making further progress in Wigan borough at the next elections."

The Conservative Group was 14-strong – the biggest opposition party – after winning four new seats last Thursday, and was set to push out the Community Action Party/Lib Dems Alliance as the town hall's official
opposition to ruling Labour.

But the decision of the four to leave the Tory group leaves the way
open for Alliance to keep its position – despite losing CAP chief Peter
Franzen and his brother Sandy in the elections – by a two-seat majority.

It will also effect the Conservatives right to representation on the Greater Manchester Passengers Transport Authority and the Greater Manchester Fire Authority.

The four rebel Conservative councillors had made overtures to the existing Independent group about joining them, but this was rebuffed at a meeting this week.

Independents Group leader Coun Brian Merry said: "The feeling of the members was that we didn't want them because they would bring political baggage with them.
"We have to deal with the other councillors in the meetings, politically, of course, because that is the way to get things done.

"But we are basically non- political and we didn't think that the four Conservatives were.
"At the end of the day we don't want political people to be involved in our group."

A spokesman for the Metro confirmed that the four councillors had informed Metro chiefs of their decision to leave the group.