This article has been edited to add a clarification - see below for details.

A Kingston Liberal Democrat councillor has quit his party over its plans to transform the town centre which he says are "dishonest" and "not deliverable."

Councillor Jon Tolley, who has been on Kingston Council for 6 years, announced his resignation from the local party on social media today (6 September.)

The news comes five days after a committee on the Lib-Dem led Council voted to knock down the Kingfisher leisure centre.

The decision prompted outrage among residents and opposition political groups. A petition to save the Kingfisher has now gained over 1,000 signatures.

Cllr Tolley slammed the fate of the Kingfisher in his resignation letter (pictured above).

He said that plans to replace the facility are already over-budget and unlikely to be delivered on time.

And he believes that selling Council assets to fund its replacement will "cost many millions of pounds."

He also criticised a recent decision not to implement 20 miles per hour on Kingston neighbourhood roads.

Cllr Tolley, who represents the ward where the Kingfisher is based, said on social media that he had considered leaving the Kingston Lib Dems in June but was persuaded to stay and try to change things from within.

But, he said in his letter, he realised the problems were symptoms of a wider "poor decision making process."

"We've moved to a de facto mini-cabinet system of decision making, driven by officers and not by council group," he said.

"It's one thing to have a lack of experience within the leadership, but it's quite another to repeatedly ignore the advice of those councillors who've been serving through multiple administrations.

"As someone who was a Portfolio Holder in this very administration I find it wild that I'm not even on one strategic committee now."

He added: "I'd thought that, electorate-willing, I could be a Kingston Town councillor for decades. It's the place I live in, work in, and love.

"But I can't seriously consider knocking on doors asking people to vote for us when I think current policy is riddled with irreparable decisions.

"I can't be a part of it anymore."

He concluded: "I've loved being a Kingston councillor for the last six years and will continue to represent the town centre on the manifesto and beliefs I was elected on."

Responding to the news, a spokesperson for Kingston Liberal Democrats said: "Kingston Lib Dems are disappointed that Cllr Tolley has decided to resign from our group on Kingston Council.

"We are proud of our record over the past three years which includes building the first new council homes for a generation, supporting all our residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, and investing in our local recovery.

"We are already implementing our ambitious plans to transform Kingston Town Centre that include an investment of over £40m to build a new state-of-the-art leisure centre and pool facility for local residents.

"Cllr Tolley argued to patch-up the existing Kingfisher Centre, at a cost of £5 million, even though the centre is coming towards the end of its life.

"We wish Cllr Tolley well. Kingston Lib Dems will continue to fight for the residents of Grove ward and residents across the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames."

Clarification: an earlier version of this article today included a statement from the Kingston Liberal Democrats that asbestos had been found in the roofing of the Kingfisher during a structural survey. Kingston Liberal Democrats would like to clarify that the survey suggests that there is asbestos within the Kingfisher Centre building, but not specifically in the roofing.