Northumberland County Council (NCC) Councillor Nicole Brooke has resigned from the Conservative Party. This is despite Cllr Brooke’s NCC web-profile stating she is a member of the Independent Group at County Hall.
The Bridge approached Cllr Brooke last month seeking clarification as to whether she had joined the Conservatives. The new membership was not declared in her Register of Interests.
The enquiry from The Bridge over Cllr Brooke’s membership was met with the reply: ‘I haven’t joined the Tories. I’ve paid my subs. I pay my subs to other parties too.’
There was further confusion over a statement by Cllr Brooke on a Facebook post after she declared an interest in fighting the forthcoming Berwick Town Council Castle Ward by-election. The post said: ‘I’ll forward [sic] to beating the Tories again’.
Cllr Brooke signalled that The Bridge could be subject to regulatory action from IPSO as ‘journalists have no statutory right to obtain’ such information, further that The Bridge publishing the fact was: ‘a probable breach of FOI Act’. Cllr Brooke added: ‘I have spoken with my colleagues today that have confirmed to me how you positioned your questions to them.’
The Bridge had attempted to confirm Cllr Brooke’s membership by contacting one of her close allies within the NCC Reform UK Group who indicated when asked about Cllr Brooke’s allegiance that he ‘had an inkling that she was thinking about joining the Conservatives’.
Originally elected under a Reform UK banner in 2025, Cllr Brooke was later expelled from that Party.
Asked why she would threaten a journalist by referral to the press regulator for revealing the truth, Cllr Brooke replied: ‘It was not a threat and shouldn’t be regarded as such. However I will reserve the right to action as I see fit.’
Confirmation was also sought from the Councillor regarding failure to declare the Political Party membership on her Register of Interests. She had used Section 32 the Localism Act 2011* to prevent publication.
The question from The Bridge was met with the response: ‘Your suggestion that my Register is incomplete is unfounded. The Council’s Code of Conduct does not require the declaration of ordinary political party membership, and it never has.
‘The requirement applies only to positions of control or management within such bodies. I do not hold one, and therefore no declaration is required.Your source has made the common mistake of misunderstanding how the Register of Interests works.’
NCC’s Code of Conduct for Elected Members states that as well as Pecuniary Interests, ‘Other Registrable Interests’ include membership of ‘any body…one of whose principal purposes includes the influence of public opinion or policy (including any political party or trade union)’
* Section 32 Localism Act 2011 entitles a councillor to keep details of their personal life private if there is risk of ‘violence or intimidation’.
The Bridge has approached Cllr Brooke for comment and will update accordingly.