Veteran Renfrewshire councillor leaves Labour and claims party 'doesn't want' him

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A veteran councillor has become the second in Renfrewshire to walk out of the Labour Party within a month.John Hood, a rep for Johnstone South and Elderslie, has handed in his resignation after almost 30 years of membership.He follows in the footsteps of former group leader Eddie Devine, who quit in October after more than four decades.Councillor Hood, first elected in 2003, said it was a “heart-breaking” decision for him to make on Wednesday.The former environment spokesperson, who has undergone treatment for a benign brain tumour, said he had become “disillusioned” with the party.He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service : “I don’t want to be in a party that doesn’t want me. “It’s come to light that senior members, not local, don’t want me in the party.

It’s a sad day because I’ve been in the party for near enough 30 years.“I’ve had 20 years as a councillor and I’ve worked hard, I’ve worked damn hard.

I’ve nearly killed myself in certain areas, because I’ve really not been well.“I’ve had a brain tumour, had it operated on and then it’s come back and I’ve had radiotherapy and now it’s come back again, and it’s given me epilepsy as well.“I work really hard in the council, but I can’t be in a party that doesn’t want me.”Labour had 15 councillors elected in May but recent resignations leave them with 13 in the council chambers.Councillor Hood echoed claims of “back-stabbing” in the party, which were first aired by Councillor Devine last month.He said: “In the last council term, the party was split down the middle.“There was so much back-stabbing in that five years, it was unbelievable.“I tried to stay neutral within it.