Liberal Councillor in Aylesbury joins the Conservatives

A Former Lib Dem Mayor of Aylesbury Town has left the Lib Dem Party to join the Conservatives. Cllr Denise Summers who was Town Mayor 2004-2005 currently represents the ward of Elm Farm and Mandeville on the Town and County Council. In a statement Denise Summers said:
“This was a decision which I thought long and hard about, and I don’t make it lightly.
When David Cameron became leader of the Conservatives he described himself as a Liberal Conservative and that's very much how I see myself. But I needed to be convinced that he could change his party, and now I am. This was highlighted at the recent Conservative Party Conference which persuaded me that he is a leader who has changed his party, and will change this country.
I see these changes at a local level as well, and am deeply impressed by the work which the newly elected Conservatives Cllrs and Conservative campaigners across the town are carrying out. They are putting into action locally, what David Cameron talks about nationally. Initiatives such as litter picks, street surgeries to chat to people, fundraising to provide bikes for our PCSOs, holding Forums to allow people to talk about what matters to them, and actively and vociferously standing up for residents.
I joined the Liberal Democrats because I wanted to be involved in the community, I wanted to help out my community. Now, the people who are doing that in Aylesbury - in positive and progressive ways - are the Conservatives. And nationally, the people who are holding the Labour Government to account and offering real plans for change are the Conservatives.
That is why at the next County Council election, I will be fully supporting the Conservative
candidate, Brian Roberts, for the Elm Farm and Mandeville ward. He has shown at District Council level the skills, compassion , drive and enthusiasm needed to stand for County Council, and should he be fortunate enough to be elected to serve Elm Farm and Mandeville, I have no doubt that he will prove to be an excellent County Councillor and be able to get things done, as he is already doing on the District and Town Council at the moment.
I was extremely honoured when I was re-elected to represent the residents of Elm Farm and Mandeville in 2005 at County level, and in 2007 for the Town Council. I still am. I promise that I will continue to work hard for the good of this community for the remainder of my term of office in summer 2009, and I know that with the support of Phil, Sue and Brian, and the rest of the local Conservative team, we can work together to make sure that Elm Farm and Mandeville goes from strength to strength.”
County Council Leader, David Shakespeare, said: "Denise Summers is an experienced hard-working councillor who will be an asset to the Conservative group. We are delighted to welcome her to the Conservative Group on the County Council, and to the Conservative Party.”
David Lidington MP said, “Denise has shown that the Conservative Party is the true home of progressive politics. We stand for extending opportunity and decentralising power to stronger families; a more responsible society and a safer, greener Britain. Denise has been a tireless community campaigner for many years, and was an excellent Mayor. I know how hard Phil, Sue and Brian work in Elm Farm Mandeville, and how professionally they go about their duties, I know they will support and help Denise is her new role as Conservative County Cllr! We welcome her very warmly to the Conservative Party.”
Sue, Phil and Brian, District Councillors in Elm Farm and Mandeville said, “We are delighted that Denise has joined the team, and also that all the hard work we have been putting into the area in the last 2-3 years has not gone unnoticed! We feel we have been making real progress and getting things done which badly needed doing, not just in our own ward but across Aylesbury – so it’s great that others have seen the improvement too!”
Denise’s move from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives echos others across the country. On Thursday (23rd) two Liberal Democrat Councillors from Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough crossed to floor to the Conservative Party, and on Friday (24th) a councillor for Harrogate council did the same, taking the Conservatives there into overall control.