A Cheshire West and Chester councillor has quit her party to become an independent.

Mandy Clare, who represents Winsford Dene, announced online she would no longer be representing the Party of Women, which she joined earlier this year.

Since being elected in 2019, Cllr Clare has also represented the Labour Party, Socialist Labour Party and Winsford Salt of the Earth before joining the Party of Women in March.

In a Facebook post, she said: "I have resigned my membership of Party of Women today and am now an independent councillor again.

“There are a few reasons for my decision, but regardless, I wish the party and every woman who has been courageous enough to stand for election in the last few months all the very best going forward.

"I tip my Spatula of Truth to all the fabulous women who have been courageous enough to stand and to all the campaign volunteers for their courage and hard work too."

Cllr Clare was first elected to CWAC for The Labour Party in 2019 and had served as the Cheshire West and Chester leader’s champion for poverty and inequality.

She was also a member of Labour’s National Women’s Committee but quit in 2022.

Cllr Clare subsequently had a stint as a Socialist Labour Party councillor but was re-elected in May last year as part of the Winsford Salt of the Earth group.

She later joined the Party of Women and now stands again as a non-aligned independent.

In her Facebook post, she added: "I’m going to be criticised by Labour councillors in particular for joining and leaving another party, because I am the heretic who has persistently exposed their policy failure in this area and refused to be silenced.

"I’m not ashamed to have given Party of Women a try to see if it was the right fit.

"We ran a great local election campaign I am extremely proud of and for any women who feel it is the right fit for them, I say go for it."