An East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) independent Conservative councillor has called for a senior position on the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) transition committee.

Cllr Charlene Maines made the demand at full council on May 14, saying her concerns over the reorganisation had been raised from the outset and warning that key decisions had been taken without adequate scrutiny.

In September 2025, when she was still part of the Conservative group, she was the only member to vote against the leadership’s LGR proposal.

Cllr Maines said: “I was not being difficult. I was being right. Proper diligence was skipped, and councils were unable to see any other proposals.”

She added that residents are now feeling the consequences of those decisions, which involves the splitting parts of East Hampshire towards Portsmouth.

She said: “The seven parishes are paying the price for this chamber’s silence.”

Cllr Maines also used her speech to revisit her departure from the Conservative group, saying she had repeatedly pushed for transparency and had been sidelined for questioning the leadership line.

“I attended the group meeting and was subjected to an hour-long session. I was pushed to the absolute limit. I sat there while people I trusted told me I was wrong for wanting transparency, for asking those awkward questions.

“I was told they trusted the leader implicitly, as if faith is a substitute for facts. One colleague even had the audacity to tell me I lacked emotional intelligence.”

She added that the experience left her “in tears”, saying: “I wasn’t upset because I was weak. I was upset because I watched party unity being prioritised over the residents we were elected to serve.”

Cllr Maines said she later attempted to rebuild communication with Cllr Richard Millard, the leader of the council and sent him a private message to which she said went unanswered.

“I’ve offered an olive branch. I sent a private message to Cllr Millard to put the district first. That message remains unanswered.”

In a strongly worded conclusion, she criticised what she described as a culture of “silence for whistleblowers” and “gossip for the olive branches” around the structure of the upcoming transition arrangements.

She then formally demanded a “top seat” on the LGR transition committee, arguing her experience in opposing the original proposal should be recognised.

“You cannot manage the future of Clanfield, Horndean and Rowlands Castle while excluding the only person who had the foresight to warn this would happen.

“This is no longer about party lines. It’s about residents, and they deserve proper representation.

“To Cllr Millard, you’ve frozen me out because I asked the awkward questions. By refusing me a seat, you are not just punishing me, you are telling the residents of the Southern Parishes that their representation is less important than personal rages.”

Cllr Maines said she will remain in post, adding: “I am not going to resign. I didn’t get into politics to be silent.”

Responding to the comments, Cllr Millard said he did not consider a detailed response necessary but emphasised that collaboration would be central to the next stage of the process.

He said: “I don’t think there is anything in particular to respond to.

“All I can assure you is that moving forward through the process, particularly in the short term, because that is when it’s going to be front-loaded work-wise, we will be working very closely with the opposition without question.

“The only way we can get this through, or get to at least a result, is that working together, and that will be undertaken.”