A leadership battle has led to the departure of Karen Walker, leader of one of Bath and North East Somerset Council’s two independent groups. Originally, Ms Walker, a councillor for Peasedown, stated she left the Independents for B&NES group to better serve her constituents as a purely independent, unaligned councillor. However, her exit followed a formal vote to remove her as group leader.
Following her removal, Ms Walker sought to join the rival Independent Group on the council, but her application was declined. Gavin Heathcote, also representing Peasedown and Ms Walker’s successor as leader of Independents for B&NES, commented: “She left before she was pushed. It has nothing to do with deciding what is best for our residents.”
Mr Heathcote had challenged Ms Walker’s leadership, requesting she step down so he could lead the group into the 2027 local elections. He secured the backing of the group’s three councillors in a leadership vote. Ms Walker responded, criticising Mr Heathcote’s relative inexperience and suitability to lead the group.
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The Independents for B&NES faction was formed in April 2025 after Ms Walker, Mr Heathcote, and newly elected independent Chris Warren (Saltford) split from the original Independent Group. Mr Warren was initially blocked from joining the Independent Group amid concerns over an offensive social media account linked to him. The account, which posted disparaging content about the local council, politicians, and minority communities, was deleted shortly after Mr Warren’s election. Although Mr Warren denied responsibility and stated that the tweets did not reflect his views, some had found them amusing.
Mr Warren and Mr Heathcote currently remain members of Independents for B&NES, with Mr Heathcote leading the two-member group. Ms Walker now sits as an unaligned councillor but had requested to re-join the Independent Group, which was denied. Shaun Hughes, spokesperson for the Independent Group, stated: “Following a group discussion, it was decided that it would not be appropriate for her to re-join at this time.” Ms Walker accepted the decision “with good grace.”
Independent councillors often form groups to access council funding and committee seats allocated proportionally by political representation. Besides the two independent groups, there are three unaligned councillors on the council: Ms Walker, Grant Johnson (Paulton), and Bharat Pankhania (Combe Down). Mr Johnson left the Labour Party in January due to disagreements with its national direction. Dr Pankhania resigned from the Liberal Democrats in July after sharing a controversial tweet regarding an arson attack on Jewish charity ambulances; he has since apologised and announced his intention to resign as councillor.
The Liberal Democrats continue to dominate the council with 38 councillors. Labour serves as the official opposition with six members, followed by the Greens with three and the Conservatives with two. The Independent Group holds five seats, while Independents for B&NES has two members.