Sunderland Conservative councillor defects after ‘deselection’ to become independent

Helen Greener was originally elected to Sunderland City Council’s Barnes ward in 2019, becoming one of two Conservative Party representatives for the area.

In local elections since, the ward has continued to vote for Conservative candidates, electing Richard Dunn for the party in 2021 and re-electing Cllr Antony Mullen in 2022.

Cllr Greener was due to defend her seat in the May 2023 elections, however it has emerged that she was ineligible to stand as a candidate after her party membership lapsed.

On Thursday, January 26, the councillor announced she had left the city council’s Conservative Group and would, instead, serve the remainder of her term as an independent councillor.

It comes shortly after fellow former Sunderland Conservatives councillor Cllr Paul Donaghy, who represents Washington South, left the Tories to join the Reform UK party.

In the social media statement, Cllr Greener said she had become “disillusioned with the petty squabbles of local and national party politics”.

The councillor also referenced “intrigue within the local party” as the reason for what she described as her “deselection”.

Cllr Greener’s social media statement said: “I got involved with politics to help local people and my local area.

“I have enjoyed working to improve the area but in recent months I have become disillusioned with the petty squabbles of local and national party politics.

“As some of you may know, I am not standing for re-election in May.

“What you may not know is that I was deselected as the Conservative Party candidate due to intrigue within the local party.

“In my four years representing Barnes I have worked with councillors both good and not so good from all parties.

“I have come to the conclusion that local politics should be focused upon local needs.

“It should be about helping residents rather than squabbling in the council chamber over sometimes petty issues and sometimes mediocre candidates hiding behind the national parties.

“I will not be standing for any party this year but will focus instead on helping the people of Barnes ward whilst others bicker.”

Cllr Greener said she was initially reselected as a Barnes ward candidate at a meeting in September, 2022, but that a second meeting was held in November, while she was on holiday, as “the local [Conservative] party had apparently not organised the previous meeting correctly”.

The Barnes councillor said it was only after the second meeting that her “lapsed membership” was cited as a reason for the “deselection” and that she was “not sure why I was able to present speeches at both meetings”.

Conservative Party officials have said that the meetings were several stages of the same selection process and that “leniency” was shown to Cllr Greener over her lapsed party membership.

However, it was stated that Cllr Greener was ineligible to stand as a candidate under party rules due to her membership issues, rather than being “deselected”.

Cllr Antony Mullen, Conservative Group leader and Barnes ward councillor, said support had been offered to Cllr Greener following her “ineligibility to stand” but that it “did not amount to a successful resolution”.

Cllr Mullen said: “I am very deeply and personally hurt by the situation Helen is in and I know there has been support offered to help her following her ineligibility to stand but that did not amount to a successful resolution.

“I thank her for her work as a councillor in the ward and in the group since 2019 and for the advice and guidance she has provided Kevin Leonard, her successor, since his selection.”

A Conservative Party spokesperson added: “It has been explained to Helen Greener that she was ineligible to proceed through candidate selection process, having not paid for her membership fees since August 2022.

“There is nothing more to this situation.”

Cllr Greener added she had worked well with Barnes ward colleagues over the years and supported Cllr Mullen in his reelection campaign last year.

However she said she “felt hurt that some friends and colleagues from the party were involved in my deselection”.

The Barnes councillor said: “I openly admit that my membership of the Conservative Party had lapsed.

“However, who could really blame me for being a reluctant member after the litany of scandals that the party nationally has been involved in recently.

“I’m sure many members are questioning their membership”.

Looking forward, Cllr Greener said she intends to “focus on doing the best for my ward in the coming months”.