A MAVERICK councillor has rejoined the Tory group on Southend Council after a four-month spell as an independent.

Dr Jason Luty, who represents Eastwood ward, had a long-running dispute with the Westborough Residents’ Association and the leader of the independent group, Martin Terry. Dr Luty announced in January he had left the Conservative Party to become an independent to try to oust Mr Terry, a Westborough ward member next year.

But he decided not to stand, and recently rejoined the Tories.

Dr Luty said: “The Tories need some help and support from people.

“I’ve had some domestic and family problems over the past few weeks, so my interest in the whole thing has now deteriorated.

“The family problems are far more important than local government.

“By being a Tory, I won’t expend as much energy or publicity.

“So I spoke to the chairman of the local party, and that was that.”

Mr Terry said: “It would appear that, as we suspected, this was party political dirty tricks all along at its worst.”

Although Dr Luty did not wish to say what his family problems were, he denied his actions had been motivated by party politics.