Witney's mayor has resigned from the Conservative party and plans to stand for election as an independent county councillor in the council elections, which take place on the same day as the General Election.

Peter Green, who is a councillor on West Oxfordshire District Council and Witney Town Council, announced yesterday he would fight former colleagues for a seat in the new Witney West division.

Mr Green, who is mayor until next month and has been a member of the Conservative party for six years, said he no longer felt he could represent the town properly as a member of a political party.

He said: "I've been uncomfortable for a while but being so much involved with the tsunami appeal, I met a lot of people in a lot of areas aged three to 103 and I just felt that I was agreeing with them on one thing and then going to a council meeting and having to vote the opposite way."

As in Westminster, councillors are expected to vote according to party policy. Mr Green said there were no particular issues he had been unhappy voting on as a district councillor.

He said: "I just feel more comfortable being an independent. I'm not out to stir trouble with the Conservatives or Labour or the Liberal Democrats."

Mr Green lives in Corn Street, Witney.