AFTER two-and-a-half years of this coalition, propping up a Conservative government which has no mandate, I can no longer justify my membership of the Liberal Democratic Party and try to defend the indefensible to my constituents.

I have therefore decided to resign my membership of the party.

I will continue to sit on Spennymoor Town Council as an independent.

Nick Clegg says that the Lib Dems are taking “hard decisions”. However, I believe they are taking the easy decisions because the people they are attacking – the disabled, unemployed, people on low wages etc – are the ones that cannot fight back.

I would like to thank all the people who have voted for me over the past 17 years as a liberal democrat.

Councillor Martin Jones (Ind), Spennymoor Ward, Spennymoor Town Council