DEFECTING city councillors have rejected resigning and standing for re-election because they say their successes were personal votes for them.

Jamie Scott and Derek Green have left the Conservative group to join the Liberal Democrats on Winchester City Council.

The defection puts both parties on 27 seats making the council once again hung.

Cllr Jamie Scott said his political success was due to his local popularity. “I got 947 votes. A high percentage was voting for me the person, not me the Conservative. The Tories normally poll about 500 in Stanmore, the Lib Dems 600 and Labour 300.”

He said he had grown disillusioned by the lack of support from the Tory party since he was elected in 2011.

“I’m not here for politics, I’m here for the ward and its people. What got me in to standing was MP Steve Brine and Cllr Ian Tait. I said ‘I don’t do politics’. Steve said ‘leave the politics to me, you represent your community.’ “I was elected by the residents of St Luke ward and I’m still working and putting all my energy into that.”

Both men have strong roots in the Stanmore community having lived there for decades.

Derek Green said: “Jamie and I are working as a team and we work well as a team. Jamie was not happy, I was not happy, so Jamie was going to go, so I have.”

Cllr Green echoed Cllr Scott on the reasons for his electoral success in 2012: “They elected me because of me.”