Two former Conservative councillors, who now sit on Bradford Council as independents, have formed a new group.

Councillor Chris Greaves and Councillor Adrian Naylor, who represent Wharfedale and Craven respectively, announced the move ahead of a meeting of full council last night.

In a joint statement the pair said the new group would be called the Independents and hinted that other councillors may wish to “join the group because of its democratic principles”. As such they did not wish to have any “geographic” or other limitations in their group name.

“Given the issues facing Bradford Council, around education, infrastructure and housing, especially with such limited budgets, we need to ensure that all options are considered and the impact of any decisions on all sections of the community and areas of the district are taken into account,” they said.

“We have the experience and ability to provide the strong representation the people deserve and we will ensure the Independents will be run on a free, fair and democratic basis.”

Coun Greaves left the Conservatives group on the Council in June amid accusations over a “forged” template letter of resignation supplied to the Council by Metro, which he represented the authority on. He has since been kicked out of the Conservative Party.

Adrian Naylor left the Conservatives two weeks ago after failing to win re-selection through the local party association to defend the seat in May’s elections. He has already announced he is to fight it as an independent.