JANET Maines has become the latest councillor to quit the Liberal Democrat group on Farnham Town Council to become an independent member.

The move, which she announced at a town council meeting last Thursday night, followed her effective de-selection by the party a month ago as a candidate for the Surrey County Council elections next May.

Mrs Maines, the current Mayoress of Waverley, who has been the well-respected county councillor for Farnham North for 11 years, has not yet decided if she will contest the election as an independent.

Her statement to the council read: "I strongly believe that party politics has no place in this level of government and that the town council should take decisions entirely based on achieving the best for the town of Farnham.

"Therefore, from tonight I do not wish to be included in the Liberal Democrat group of this council, but shall join the other two independent members."

The other two independents are the similarly dissaffected former town mayor, Dr Penny Marriott, and her husband, Peter, who parted company with the Lib Dem group in May.

The town council is now composed of 10 Lib Dems, five Conservatives and three independents.

In the lead-up to her resignation from the group, Mrs Maines accused members of the local Lib Dems of contradicting their party's guide for good practice in selecting Mary Hunt, currently a Lib Dem Waverley councillor, to stand in her stead when she had anticipated being re-selected.

In what appeared at the time to be a determined effort to stop Janet Maines being selected, Dr Rosemary Thomas, who until last year had been a Waverley councillor for Farnham for 12 years, had previously been approached by the Lib Dems about standing for the seat.

Dr Thomas had sought selection for the Farnham Central ward and declined the invitation, siding with Mrs Maines in the deepening rift.

As things stand, the Farnham Central ward councillor, Marie King-Hele, will be standing down at the election and her seat will be contested by Farnham Lib Dem branch chairman and South West Surrey Lib Dem executive vice-chairman Derek Seale.

Mrs Maines and Dr Thomas have alleged that Mr Seale, as a candidate, should not have taken part in the approvals and selection process and should have relinquished his chairman and vice chairman positions.

They have also claimed that not all local members of the party were given the proper two weeks' notice of the hustings meeting and that in the interests of impartiality, party agent Gwen Backhurst should not have guided a novice returning officer.

In a statement to The Herald, Mrs Maines declared: "At present my decision to be an independent applies only to the town council.

"However I have always believed that much more can be achieved by all political parties working together in order to get the best for local people.

"Although I am fundamentally a Liberal Democrat, party politics should not be the deciding factor on any issue."

She went on to say: "I have received a great deal of support from local people for the decision that I have taken.

"I shall make a further decision on what I should do at the county council election to be held in May in consultation with my local residents."

She later told The Herald: "I have no problems with the Liberal Democrat group at County Hall. I do have problems with the local organisation. My easiest option was, therefore, to pull away from them and I have had an awful lot of support in doing this."

At the time of the original disagreement Mrs Maines sought the advice of a regional Liberal Democrat organisation as to whether or not the local party should be investigated due to alleged irregularities in the local management of the Liberal Democrats.

Mrs Maines has since received a review from the organisation, but a press embargo has been put on the conclusions that were drawn.