The ex mayor of Havering has resigned from the Conservative party after being asked to attend a disciplinary meeting for voting against a motion to freeze councillor’s special responsibility allowances.

At last month’s full council meeting, Cllr Lynden Thorpe, who served as mayor between 2012-13, and the current mayor, Cllr Eric Munday, both voted against the proposal, which would also see the mayor and deputy mayor’s allowances reduced by more than £2,000 and £3,500 respectively.

The motion was passed and the pair were subsequently requested to attend a disciplinary meeting, where they could face possible suspension, in front of the conservative administration at Havering Town Hall on March 24.

Regarding her attendance, Cllr Thorpe said “that was never going to happen” and on March 4, sent a letter to the monitoring officer.

It read: “After serious consideration I have decided to resign the Conservative whip.”

Speaking to the Recorder, she said: “I have been concerned about the special responsibility allowance’s since October. I think they should have been reduced across the board because of the current financial hard times, which will see a lot more cuts. It was a matter of conscience and principle.”

Cllr Thorpe will now have a “big think” about whether she wishes to remain a councillor.

Cllr Eric Munday has yet to decide whether he will attend the meeting, and claimed one of the reasons he voted against the motion was the undermining of the mayor’s role.

He added: “I think they ought to have cut allowances. They left all allowances and cut the mayor and deputy mayors.

“Everybody else is struggling out there, there is no reason why we shouldn’t all take cuts. Politically we have done the wrong thing.”