Former Conservative leader in Rochdale quits the party

The former leader of the Conservatives in Rochdale has decided to leave the party following ‘petty squabbles’ in wake of a change in leadership.

Councillor John Taylor has been the group leader of the Tories for the last two years before being replaced by Councillor Stephen Anstee back in May. The ward member for Wardle Shore and West Littleborough explained his reason for leaving was not because of the loss of position in the group, but the internal disputes in the lead up to the change and the aftermath.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands Councillor Taylor would have stepped down as the leader and remained in the party if not for the political infighting within the local Conservative group.

Speaking in the wake of the decision, he said: “The first thing I should say is there has been no change in my political opinions, I remain a member of the Conservative Party nationally and my commitment to the residents of Wardle, Shore and West Littleborough remains as resolute as ever.

“I will always work closely with my ward colleagues for the good of our community and with over thirty six years of public service experience my focus upon service remains very strong.

“It was a pleasure to lead the Conservative group over the last two years and I wish my successor all the very best for the future. It follows therefore, that my resignation has had nothing to do with the recent change of leadership within the group at all.

“However, internal events from late March onwards made my continued position within the group untenable. Differences of what I consider to be a very minor nature, blown out of all proportion and not connected to my political leadership at all were used against me by some of my former colleagues.

“Individual grievances and personal agendas were used without justification to undermine my position as group leader in the run up to the local elections. Although those attempts to force a change of leadership failed, I have no time or desire to engage in such petty squabbles as they are a distraction from the important work of an elected councillor.”

Public service is nothing new to the councillor with years of experience in the chamber – who previously served in the police for decades before his retirement in 2015.

He has been a Conservative councillor throughout his six-year tenure and was their group leader from May 2022 up until May 2024 when Councillor Stephen Anstee took his place.

Following Councillor Taylor’s resignation, Councillor Stephen Anstee, Conservative group leader, said: “I would like to place on record my thanks to John for his leadership of the group over the last two years. Although of course, we will continue to work together locally, I regret he has felt it necessary to leave our group and complete the rest of his term as an independent councillor.

“Whilst I would rather this wasn't the case; he has made his decision and we’re respectful of that. He leaves with our best wishes for the future.

“Our group remains united in our commitment to serving the residents we proudly represent, and we look forward to continuing this work across our wards and in the council chamber.”

Councillor Taylor explained that he delayed his decision to step away from the local Conservative party in order to prevent any political gain during the local elections and general election.

He continued: “I chose not to resign before the local elections as I didn’t want my resignation to be used for political gain and equally I didn’t resign in the run up to the general election for the same reason.

“However, the actions of some of my former colleagues led to my decision to continue serving our community as an independent member of the council.”