THE last two remaining Liberal Democrats on East Hampshire District Council have crossed the floor and joined the Conservative Party.

Councillors Alan Waterhouse and Sally Pond - who are both said to be “leading figures” in the Whitehill and Bordon community and hold seats on Whitehill Town Council - reportedly made the decision after supporting Conservative strategies at the district council.

A statement from the Conservative Party said Mr Waterhouse and Ms Pond backed the council’s ethos of cutting council tax while still preserving frontline services.

It follows the decisions of former Liberal Democrats Adam Carew and Tony Muldoon, also from Whitehill and Bordon, to make the switch to the Tories in 2013.

Now, all 44 councillors at East Hampshire District Council are Conservative.

Mr Waterhouse (Whitehill Pinewood), who was leader of the Liberal Democrats on the district council, said: “I am happy to join the Conservatives because I support their strategy regarding council tax and their businesslike approach to building for the future. I think it is in the best interests of the town that we all work together to deliver what the community deserves.”

Ms Pond (Whitehill Chase), who was the defeated Liberal Democrat candidate in the recent Hampshire County Council elections, agreed that working with the Tories on East Hampshire District Council made the most sense.

“I made this decision because I believe it is with the Conservatives that we can all work together to achieve the town’s inspiring aims,” she said.

“I have seen how hard the district councillors work for collective benefit and am looking forward to playing an even greater part in it.”

District council leader Ferris Cowper said: “I am thrilled that Sally and Alan are joining us. Sally is a first-rate planner and, as a Conservative, she is now well placed to influence many aspects of the development-management process at the district council. Alan has a long history of community engagement in Whitehill and Bordon and he will obviously have a vital role in continuing to keep the townsfolk well briefed on developments and feeding back their concerns to the administration.

“The capability of the district-council Conservatives has not just improved by two new members, it has also improved in quality with these two talented and well respected councillors”.

Mr Carew’s decision to join the Conservative Party followed a period of local turbulence with his former Liberal Democrat colleagues.

At the time Mr Carew said the move was not taken lightly and came after a long period of “soul searching”.

This week, he said he was happy to see Liberal Democrats following in his footsteps.

“I am delighted Sally and Alan have crossed the floor to join us,” he said. “They are both able councillors and will be a big asset to our local Conservative Party.

“I know from experience that this is never a quick or easy decision for anyone to make. It is testament to Mr Cowper’s council strategy and big-tent approach that every district councillor on the district council is now Conservative, including a number of former senior Liberal Democrats. This is a staggering achievement.

“Sally phoned me last week, a few days after the election, to tell me the good news. Not only is this good for the Conservatives but we now have all six Whitehill, Bordon and Lindford district councillors working together as a team to get the very best results for our community - that can only be a vey positive thing.”

Liberal Democrat town councillor Duncan Sanders declined to comment on the defection, but he did say that the party was yet to elect a new local leader.

Chairman of the Liberal Democrats’ Woolmer Forest branch Trevor Maroney also declined to comment.

The Conservative Party has controlled the council for much of its history, including having a majority from 1976 to 1991.

The Liberal Democrats have been the only other party to have a majority, from 1991 to 1999. The Conservatives have controlled the council since 1999. The most recent election was in 2015, with the next election in 2019.

Today, Thursday, the district council is holding its annual meeting at Penns Place, Petersfield, at which it will elect a new chairman and vice-chairman, and appoint a new leader and deputy leader.

Mr Cowper announced earlier this year that he intended to stand down as leader, having served in the position since 2013.

Taking into account his earlier first term as leader, Mr Cowper is the longest-serving leader in the history of the district council.