THE UKIP leader in Thurrock has described the local MP Jackie Doyle-Price "delusional" over her comments on planning.
The MP recently made comments on the spat between Independent councillor Colin Churchman and his then party, UKIP over a planning application in Bulphan.
Cllr Churchman believed his bosses were trying to "whip him". Cllr Churchman objected to this and left the party.
Ms Doyle Price has backed him, saying that the planning committee has a "quasi-judicial" status and any political interference could see bodies open to litigation.
Bu the UKIP leader has taken a dim view of this and has words for Ms Doyle-Price and cllr Churchman
Cllr Graham Snell said: "All Councillors are entirely free to come to their own decisions and reach their own conclusions on whatever committee they happen to sit.
"However, that does not render them impervious to criticism or disagreement about those decisions.
"Councillor Churchman made his own decision on the planning application in question without any interference and it is simply incorrect to say otherwise.
"His decision was contentious and there were discussions had about it but, and this is important, they were all after the vote had already been made so any accusations of whipping are wide of the mark."
Councillor Churchman has form when it comes to accusations of whipping, here is what he has to say on the subject from his days as a Tory Councillor ‘…one of the main reasons I left the Conservative party at Thurrock Council was the interference from other party members who tried to whip myself and other members of the planning committee into voting a certain way.’ This taken from an email Colin Churchman sent Graham Snell on 2nd July.
Graham added: "One could argue that it is an easy accusation to make when things are not going your way.
"Colin made a big deal of this and was clear that he felt his principles were, in some way, being put at risk.
"Let me again take this opportunity to ask Councillor Churchman if he will take the principled move and put his seat to a by-election.
"To date, he seems perfectly happy to take the unprincipled route of sitting in a ward he won on the back of the hard work put in by Councillor Roy Jones and the rest of the UKIP team."
