Dr Vel has quit the Independent group in Southend, leaving the council on a knife-edge.

The Westborough councillor confirmed he has quit the group, for the second time, in an email seen by the Echo.

In a boost to the Conservatives, who have 22 seats on Southend Council, his decision means the Independent, Labour, Lib Dem, and Southend Indpendence administration now has 25 seats.

That is because Stephen Aylen quit the Independent group earlier this year, and now sits as a non-aligned council.

Twenty-six is the magic number needed for majority control of the authority's 51-seat council, but it remains to be seen whether both Dr Vel and Mr Aylen will vote in tandem with the ruling administration.

Dr Vel, who came back into the Independent fold in 2014 when Ron Woodley became leader of the council, is up for re-election in May.

Labour have announced Anne Jones, who is cabinet member for children, will swap her Kursaal seat to fight in Westborough.

And David Webb, who has close links to the Indpendents, will stand for election there too.

If veteran councillor Dr Vel, who has been in both Labour and the Conservatives, retains his seat, he will became Southend mayor in 2016/17.

Until May, he will in effect sit as an independent Independent.