Scottish Councillor defects to Conservatives

As TNS announced via their poll in yesterday's Herald that the Scottish Conservatives are a spent force, today sees a Borders councillor, who was elected as an Independent, join the Tory group on the authority.

Tom Weatherston was voted in to represent Kelso and District on Scottish Borders Council in May 2007.

The Tories were already the largest group on the authority and this move takes them to 12 of the available 34 seats.

The council is run by a Conservative, Lib Dem and independent coalition administration.

Mr Weatherston said: "I feel that being part of a larger group would help me to serve the residents of Kelso better."

The independent group is the second smallest on the authority and its numbers will now fall from five to four.

Mr Weatherston said he particularly admired the "financial rigour" the Tories had brought to the council.

Tory group leader, Carolyn Riddell-Carre, said he would be a "great asset" in "hard times ahead".

"Tom is well respected as a most hard-working councillor with sound judgement and I am delighted to welcome him to the Conservative group," she said.

The other representative groups on the council are the Lib Dems with 10 councillors, the SNP with six and the Borders Party with two.