TWO former Labour councillors who quit to become Independents have joined the Green Party.
Cllrs Paddy Short and Caroline Montague announced their switch at Hyndburn Council's full meeting in Accrington Town Hall on Thursday night.
It is the latest change in the borough's political make up following a swathe of resignations from Labour.
It means the current balance of power is 15 Conservatives, 13 Labour, two Greens and five Independents.
Earlier this month former Labour and then Independent Cllr Loraine Cox joined the Tories and on Thursday night Colin McKenzie was welcomed to the council after winning the July by-election in Great Harwood's Overton ward.
Peel ward's Cllr Short and Barnfield Ward's Cllr Montague - the borough's Green Ambassador - both quit Labour in May.
The council remains in no overall control and run by a cabinet of Independent councillors, including leader and former Labour councillor Miles Parkinson, and Conservatives.
A statement issued after the meeting by Cllrs Short and Montague, Hyndburn's first Green Party councillors, said: "After becoming independent councillors from May 2022, which was the right decision for both of us after the toxic and unfair decisions being made by the current Hyndburn Labour Party, we both joined the Green Party as we felt their policies and intentions aligned to our beliefs and what we were elected on for our residents.
"Three things that convinced us the Green Party was the right way to go:
"• that as a socialists we would find a welcome in the Green Party and that both climate justice and social justice held equal weight in its policies and priorities;
"• that the Green Party recognised its need to culturally diversify its membership.
"• that the Green Party policies and commitment on climate change, carbon footprint and recycling locally were fully supported.
"Lots of work went into planning this transition to becoming Green councillors.
"We believe this will make Hyndburn more inclusive of other party policies and more diversity across the borough, but with the same support for the residents in Peel and Barnfield."
They join six Green Party councillors in Burnley, one on Lancashire County Council and one in Rossendale borough.
Welcoming Cllr McKenzie to the council, Netherton ward's Cllr Noordad Aziz said: "He is bright, intelligent and brings a skill set where he excelled as a teacher and also as a local businessman.
"The residents if Hyndburn clearly want a a Labour administration and not a Conservative coalition. Labour is ready to take control at the earliest opportunity."
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