A former member of Bradford Council’s Executive has quit the Conservative Party and vowed to stand as an independent candidate for his Craven ward seat.

Councillor Adrian Naylor resigned from the party after he failed to win selection from Keighley and Ilkley Conservative Association to defend his seat in this May’s council elections.

He remains in the Craven seat as an independent councillor, and says he plans to stand as an independent.

A former Executive member for regeneration and economy, Coun Naylor said he continued to support the Conservative Party nationally. He failed to make it onto a shortlist of candidates in November, and appealed. The appeal date was recently set for Thursday, March 22.

Keighley and Ilkley Association recently pressed ahead with the selection process, choosing Andrew Rowley as its Craven ward candidate.

Councillor Naylor said: “I’ve no quarrel with the national party, I support David Cameron with his attempts to manage the country given the state of the finances the last Government left and the worsening international situation.

“However, I have an issue with the small group of people who’ve delayed and manipulated the process and have not provided a proper explanation of why it has taken four months to hear my appeal.”

Coun Naylor, who lives in Silsden, said it was a “critical time” for Craven, with Bradford’s Local Development Framework potentially bringing 2,900 new houses to the ward, hitting the infrastructure and schools provision.

Bradford Council Conservative group leader, Councillor Glen Miller (Worth Valley), said the group leadership was recommending Coun Naylor’s suspension from the group, as a result of complaints from a member of the group over “group issues”.

Coun Naylor criticised the leadership for “acting as judge and jury” when they had not discussed the matter with him and come to the conclusion without hearing both sides. Coun Naylor’s resignation puts the Conservative group further behind the leading Labour group. The Conservatives hold 27 seats to Labour’s 44, since Coun Naylor, and Wharfedale ward councillor Chris Greaves, became independent.