Independent councillors in North Tyneside have lodged a complaint with the local authority regarding a local Conservative Party leaflet they deem "deceitful" and "dishonest".
The newly formed St Mary's independent group has objected to a leaflet, produced by the local Tory Party, which initially reads as a letter from a "former school teacher", Chris Johnston. The letter goes on to tell Whitley Bay residents that voting independent in this week's local elections would only serve to split the Conservative vote, with the possibility of Labour coming in through the middle.
The letter goes on to say: "The highest vote share any independent has won in our area is 12.6%. It wasn't enough to win but did hand a safe Conservative seat to Labour."
