Cllr Will Davison handed in his resignation from the Bracknell Conservatives earlier today and revealed his intention to join the anti-EU party at a meeting in Owlsmoor Community Centre.

He has represented Hanworth as a borough councillor since 2011 but says he has 're-evaluated’ where his political allegiances lie after losing faith in the Conservative party at a local and national level.

Cllr Davison said: “At the start of this new year I felt it was time to re-evaluate where my political allegiances lay, having become increasingly disenchanted with the actions of the Conservatives both locally, and in the coalition government. Thus, I have decided to leave the Conservatives and join UKIP.

“I would like to see increased representation by UKIP councillors on our borough, town and parish councils. Currently the Conservatives have a stranglehold on our local councils meaning there is no effective opposition and they do what they like.” Cllr Davison will join the council’s two other UKIP members, Cllr Shelagh Pile and Cllr Michael Sargeant, who both defected to UKIP in October 2013 after being suspended from the Bracknell Conservatives for voting against the party’s housing strategy. His move makes UKIP the second largest party in the council with three members – the Conservatives hold 37 of the 42 seats.

Richard Thomas, UKIP’s prosepective parliamentary candiate for Bracknell, said: “I welcome Will Davison to UKIP. He is a hard- working councillor who has represented the residents of Hanworth and Birch Hill really well. Will has a lot of experience and he is very well respected by the people he serves.

“With the local elections this year [the defection] gives us a good strong base in the council – Cllr Davison will play a vital part of our team working for UKIP to take control of the council at the elections.” The News reported in 2013 that Cllr Davison was the only councillor to attend every borough council meeting he was expected at, and he says the chance to vote freely according to his residents was one of the greatest attractions of joining the right-wing party.

“Some of the UKIP policies I find particularly attractive at a national level are a referendum on membership of the EU – I have never thought political union with Europe was beneficial for the UK – removing the commitment to spending on foreign aid, £3 billion extra to the NHS and reversing the decline in funding for armed services,” Cllr Davison said.

He will now fight the local elections as a UKIP councillor, hoping to retain his seat on May 7.