AN SNP councillor has resigned from the party, saying independence had just become "rhetoric" used to get votes.
Paisley councillor Will Mylet accused Renfrewshire Council’s leader of trying to “ridicule and subdue” him as he resigned from the SNP.
Mylet quit the party after more than two decades of membership on Thursday morning – confirming he plans to continue as an independent representative at least until the next council election in 2027.
The Paisley East and Central politician said he had been “wrestling” with his conscience for some time as he opened up on his decision to leave in a statement.
Mylet said: “I have held off as well due to the possibility of independence for Scotland, a cause that I dearly hold on to and I believe the majority of Scottish people believe in this too.
“It has become clear that there is no plan to achieve independence and it has become rhetoric for the SNP to get votes.”
He went on: “I feel times have changed dramatically and the SNP no longer want local champions and I have tried to change from within but this has failed.
“I called a vote of no confidence in the SNP council leader because I could see issues like Dargavel Primary being ignored by him. It came as no surprise to me that this school was not adequate and ignored by the leader of the council.
“I was heavily involved in stopping the very unpopular cycle lane on Causeyside Street whilst the council leader and convenor were trying to push this through; this was also the case when it came to road changes within Paisley town centre.
“I had also fought hard to stop the price hike in parking for Paisley town centre as I felt it would be detrimental to the businesses in Paisley, however, I was called a traitor for engaging with businesses and residents in Paisley and unfortunately have lost this battle.
“The leader has tried to ridicule and subdue me, ignoring all of my comments, he used group meetings as a way to attack me.
“I was able to handle all of this, however, he started to win when I realised this behaviour was upsetting some of my colleagues within the group.
“This was now affecting others members’ mental health and I could not allow this to happen and withdrew from attending group meetings. All the council leader wanted was me to attend group meetings.”
In walking out on the party, Councillor Mylet – in his third term at the council – leaves the minority administration with 20 of 43 elected members.
When contacted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, SNP council leader Iain Nicolson responded: “I do not discuss internal group issues or decisions.”
The Erskine and Inchinnan representative added: “Members of the SNP group agree and sign group standing orders which details expected behaviour and that they will abide by its rules. This is a requirement in all political groups and parties.
“I wish Councillor Mylet well in his future endeavours and I hope he finds the inner peace he has been seeking.”
An SNP source described Councillor Mylet’s exit as a “big loss”, adding: “He’s not just a councillor, he’s an activist.
“There are people in the SNP group who go to him for advice. It would be difficult to match his work rate.”
