NEWLY-elected member Dudley Seale has done a u- turn over resigning from West Somerset Council. And he has quit the Conservative group to become an independent. Cllr Seale wrote to the Free Press two weeks ago announcing he was resigning from both the district council and Minehead Town Council. He was the successful Tory candidate at a by- election for the district's Alcombe East ward in May - but two months on he told the Free Press he was quitting because he felt he could be more effective outside rather than inside the council. He also wrote to the district council announcing his intention to stand down at the beginning of August. But because, under the council's rules, resignation letters must take effect immediately, Cllr Seale's was deemed invalid by the council. As a result, Cllr Seale has been able to change his mind and decide to stay on as a district councillor after all. His resignation from the town council was accepted. In another letter to the Free Press yesterday (Thursday), Cllr Seale made no reference to his aborted resignation but confirmed he had left the Tory group. "I hoped the Conservative group would be a strong opposition. I do not feel they are and as such I can do more for the people who elected me outside of a political group," he wrote. Cllr Tim Taylor, the district council's Conservative group leader, said both he and the electorate were bitterly disappointed by Cllr Seale's actions. He said Cllr Seale had sent him an email confirming his intention to quit the Conservatives after discovering his original resignation from the council was not acceptable. Cllr Taylor said: "Dudley Seale sent a letter of resignation informing the council of his intention to resign as a district councillor in advance of August 1, but that was unacceptable because, constitutionally, anyone resigning can only do so at the time of the resignation being handed in. "Therefore, his letter was invalid, meaning he had not resigned from the council." He said Cllr Seale's u-turn would save the council the expense of a by-election - May's cost at least £2,500 - but questioned the rationale of his decision to leave the Conservative group. "His decision to become an unaligned independent is surprising, as one of his reasons for resigning from the Conservative group was that he felt the group that I lead should be a stronger opposition to the ruling independent coalition," he said. "Mr Seale was elected as a district councillor in May by an overwhelming majority - 60 per cent of the total vote - in part because of a personal vote, but largely because he was standing as a Conservative, with strong support from the local Tories including members of the district council. "The voters in Alcombe East will be feeling deeply disappointed and let down in that they have been deprived of their Conservative representation on the council for which they voted for just over two months ago. "This is highly regrettable. I would like to reassure people the West Somerset Conservative group will be acting as a responsible opposition and will be making decisions which it feels are soundly based in the long term interests of the people of West Somerset."