THE former mayor of Basingstoke who was expelled from the Conservative Group has joined a forum of independent councillors, saying ‘it feels good to be an independent councillor’.

As previously reported, Cllr Onnalee Cubitt 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, an outrageous litany of failures”, and remarking that things would be different if she was in charge.

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.

READ MORE: Former mayor Onnalee Cubitt expelled from Conservative group

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

Now Cllr Cubitt has joined the Independent Forum - an umbrella group on the council for independent councillors who are working together for their communities and the borough of Basingstoke and Deane.

Cllr Cubitt said: “It feels good to be an independent councillor. I’m joining the Independent Forum to work with like-minded people, whose focus like my own is on the residents we represent. I feel we need people to stand up and be counted more than ever because the challenges we face on the local plan, the future of the leisure park, town centre and Basing View are very real and demand action.

“I know the threat our environment faces, the risks to the River Loddon are very real and we need action. Working with fellow independent councillors we all believe in the common good, and that Basingstoke and Deane council has a responsibility to be better; to meet the needs, ambitions and aspirations of the people of our borough. We believe that by the strength of our common shared values of community, cooperation and localism we can unleash the potential of our borough.” 

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The leader of the Basingstoke Independent group welcomed Cllr Cubitt’s decision to join the forum.

Cllr Paul Harvey, also leader of the Independent Forum, added: “I’m pleased to welcome Onnalee to the Independent Forum, my colleagues and I are aware of just how passionate and committed Onnalee is to her community and to the borough. Onnalee’s sense of social justice and her commitment to wanting the very best for the borough are so important. We are building something very special, we are a collective of like-minded councillors who are not bound by party politics, we are totally focused on our residents and what we can all do working together for our borough.”