The leader of North Tyneside's Conservative group has been deselected, it has emerged.
George Westwater has been dropped as the party's candidate to stand in the St Mary's ward at next year's local elections, the latest twist in what has been a troubled year for the Tories locally.
Coun Westwater, whose term of office will end next May, will be replaced on the ballot paper by Sean Brockbank - chairman of the North Tyneside Conservative Federation and former leader of the Tory opposition group on the Labour-dominated council, before he lost his old Monkseaton South seat this year.
