AN independent councillor on Teignbridge District Council has defected to Reform UK, doubling the party’s representation on the authority from one member to two.

John Radford, who represents Kerswell-with-Coombe, has joined councillor Steve Horner, who represents Teignmouth West.

Cllr Radford said the decision to leave the independents and join Reform had not been easy, but he believed it was the right move for him.

‘I have really valued my time with the independents, and I am pleased that we remain on good terms’, Cllr Radford said.

‘My priority has always been, and will remain, working hard for the residents of Kerswell-with-Coombe’, he added.

He added that joining Reform would allow him to continue representing his constituents, while pursuing issues he believes are important to the local community.

Cllr Radford said he had been a bit of a ‘closet Reform supporter’, but had been reluctant to openly express his views because of the reaction he feared they might provoke.

‘I was afraid to come out because people immediately call you a racist, don’t they?’ he said.

He added that the support he had received since making the move had been ‘incredible’.

Cllr Radford also said he was frustrated by what he described as a fragmented political opposition on Teignbridge.

‘I think there’s no true opposition at the moment. The opposition is quite fragmented’, he said. ‘I think people are bored with it. I’m bored with it. I’m trying to kick things on’.

He said he had been impressed by Reform UK’s candidate selection process, which took around three weeks and included identity checks, verification of his social media accounts and an explanation of why he wanted to defect from his previous political group.

Cllr Radford said the party had scrutinised his online posts and made clear that candidates who misrepresented themselves would not be acceptable.

Despite the change in political affiliation, he said his commitment to local residents remained unchanged.

‘I will continue to be accessible to all residents, regardless of how they vote’, he said, adding that he looked forward to working constructively with colleagues across the council for the benefit of Kerswell-with-Coombe and the wider community.