THE former mayor of Basingstoke and Deane Cllr Onnalee Cubitt has been expelled from the Conservative Group for comments she made regarding Basingstoke.

The borough councillor for Basing and Upton Grey Ward was expelled for comments that she made during a full council meeting on October 20, as well as for remarks she expressed during an interview with The Guardian reporter John Harris.

In the interview with John, Cllr Cubitt criticised a number of projects in Basingstoke as “failures”, saying: “Basing View, Festival Place, The Camrose and the leisure park are completely disastrous, outrageous litany of failures”, and remarking that things would be different if she was in charge.

READ MORE: Basingstoke councillor berates MP at Conservative conference for 'unsettling' comment

Meanwhile, in the full council meeting, she criticised both the council and Dame Maria Miller MP for what she saw as a lack of action to address issues such as housing in Basingstoke during the last 12 years.

Cllr Cubitt was expelled from the Conservative Group following a meeting on December 1.

Leader of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Simon Bound said: “At a recent meeting Cllr Cubitt was asked by the group to make an apology. 

“She refused this request and is now no longer a member of the Conservative group at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.”

The expulsion means that, despite still being a member of the Conservative party, Cllr Cubitt will be unable to stand as a Conservative in May 2023.

SEE ALSO: Pub excited to welcome back guests following six-figure refurbishment

Speaking to the Gazette, Cllr Cubitt said that she was “distraught” at her expulsion, saying: “I come from round here, so I love my area and I love Basingstoke, I truly do.”

She continued: “But the truth of the matter is that the numbers (of housing) imposed on Basingstoke and Deane have gone up, so everybody has failed to get the numbers down, it’s a statement of fact.”

Cllr Cubitt added: “I think it’s a tragedy for local democracy, and I think it will probably have a tail of negative impact in making other councillors fearful of telling the truth or fearful of holding views that the majority don’t hold.”