A councillor suspended by his political group in May has quit with both sides not backing down in their criticism of the other.

Now ex-Liberal Democrat councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd said he had asked the party nationally to investigate the Lib Dem group on Redcar and Cleveland Council after “distancing” himself from it.

Cllr Learoyd said: “Sadly, the Redcar Lib Dem councillor group has become about a group of friends in power. 

“The chronic failures at Redcar and Cleveland Council come from such nepotism, favouritism and self-serving introspective politics.”

The group’s leader, Councillor Carole Morgan said Cllr Learoyd had shown over a considerable period of time that he was unable to meet “basic requirements” and work collaboratively with Lib Dem colleagues.

She said since his suspension, he had made statements detrimental to the group and the council.

Cllr Morgan described how Cllr Learoyd had resigned from the group the day before a meeting that had been arranged to attempt a reconciliation, although the precise circumstances surrounding the meeting were disputed by the latter.

She said: “Yet again, Cllr Learoyd has found himself in a position where he is no longer able to stay in a political party. 

“This is the third party he has left or has been forced to leave.”

Cllr Learoyd, who was elected last year in the St Germain’s ward in Marske, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he had not given up his national party membership of the Lib Dems.

He said during his nine-week long suspension the local group had not reached out to him or attempted to explain his suspension and he had also been cut out from group e-mails, removed from WhatsApp groups and not allowed to attend party meetings.

At a gathering of the full council on Thursday, Cllr Learoyd was seated in a different part of the civic chamber away from other Lib Dems and will now be required to carry out his councillor duties for the remaining electoral term as an independent.

He had previously labelled his suspension by the group a “farce”.

Cllr Learoyd said the group had tried to remove him as planning committee chairman and alleged it had “done deals” with other parties, with one member also attempting to bring a code of conduct complaint against him without success.

He said: “I have distanced myself from the Lib Dem councillor group and have requested a Lib Dem national party investigation.”

Cllr Learoyd has been a prominent local figure in campaigning against housing overdevelopment in Marske and surrounding areas.

He has also publicly questioned a number of issues relating to the Teesworks industrial site and repeatedly highlighted shortcomings in the council’s environmental approach.