This weekend I was very sorry to see two members of the Wiltshire Council Lib Dem group decide that they could no longer serve on Wiltshire Council as Liberal Democrats.

Coun Chris Caswill has been a member of the Liberal Democrats (and previously the Liberal Party) for 50 years and I know that he has thought long and hard over his decision. Whilst I cannot agree with his assessment of the coalition I do sympathise with the policy dilemmas he has found himself struggling with and understand and accept his reasons for not renewing his membership. I have no doubt that we will continue to work together on many issues on the council in the future and continue to count him as a friend.

I was very disappointed that, just days after failing to be selected in a democratic election of local members as the Lib Dem candidate for Parliament in North Wiltshire, Coun Simon Killane decided that he no longer believed in party politics. Simon has sat as a Lib Dem on Wiltshire Council since 2009 and certainly had no problem with party politics when it came to his election campaign in May this year.

The Lib Dems continue to be the largest opposition group by some considerable margin on Wiltshire Council and will continue to offer constructive opposition to the Conservative administration. We do not, and never have, offered opposition for the sake of opposition and have contributed positively to many of the decisions that the council has made in recent years.

I am proud of my team and proud of the work that they have done, are doing and will do for years to come in Wiltshire. Only the Liberal Democrats offer a political ethos that holds communities at its heart.

We will continue to work for our communities.

Jon Hubbard, Leader, Wiltshire Council Liberal Democrat Group.