A second Preston Conservative councillor has decided to go it alone.

Councillor Rowena Edmondson has stood down from the Tory party to become an Independent Conservative.

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The Greyfriars councillor has decided to join with Councillor Lona Smith and they are now branded as the Independent Conservatives. Cllr Edmondson will be deputy leader of the Independents.

Cllr Edmondson has a majority of more than 1,000 in her Greyfriars seat in Fulwood.

Cllr Edmondson said: “I have resigned from the Conservative Group on Preston City Council as I have absolutely no faith in a leader who has already presided over the loss of two conservative seats in Fulwood in last Mays local election.

“Matters came to a head when I was de-selected as a Conservative Candidate for the May 2019 local election,without any reasons being given,and with having no support whatsoever from the Leader and Deputy Leader,my position within the Group has become untenable.

“I will now sit as an Independent Conservative for the remainder of my term. I will continue to work hard,as I have done for the last three and a half years,for the residents of Greyfriars,where I have lived for many years.”

It now leaves Conservative group leader in Preston councillor Neil Cartwright, with 15 councillors, ahead of the all-out election for Preston City Council in May 2019. Labour have 35 councillors at present, and the Liberal Democrats have five.

Read more: What we learned from the 2018 local elections in Preston

The city council is to see many of its ward boundaries redrawn, a reduction of councillors by nine, and all councillors forced to stand again if they want to be re-elected.

Blog Preston has contacted Cllr Cartwright for a comment from the Preston Conservative group.