03 Apr 2026
Just weeks before the crucial May elections, St Albans Liberal Democrats have been dealt a devastating blow from one of their own.
Harpenden East district councillor Dason Canning has resigned from the party to become an Independent, citing damning reasons behind his departure.
Meanwhile, Sharon Hollingsworth and Steve Cavinder have stepped down as councillors in Sandridge and Wheathampstead and St Stephen, triggering by-elections for both wards on polling day (May 7).
With a majority of 41 (not including the two vacancies), the Lib Dems are not likely to be affected by his defection when it comes to maintaining their grip on the council, but it’s the public relations backlash which could prove much more damaging.
In a detailed statement. Cllr Canning said he had taken the decision to leave the Liberal Democrat group in SADC following a number of concerns about how it operates locally.
“In my experience, the Liberal Democrat group in St Albans has not operated in an open or democratic manner, particularly concerning important local issues in Harpenden,” he explained.
He claimed decisions locally have been driven by a small leadership group, with limited opportunity for discussion or challenge and little appetite within the party for challenge and debate.
“I witnessed attempts to remove other councillors from the party, and I was also subject to an effort to remove me as a result of my views about parking charges in Harpenden. When that failed, I was removed from some of the council committees that I served on, which I believe was punitive.”
Cllr Canning said he was also concerned by the gap between what is said publicly and what is actually done.
“Liberal Democrats in St Albans district council say they support the high street in Harpenden. However, their actions on parking have told a different story. A large number of residents and businesses supported at least one hour of free parking, yet this was not delivered.
“At district council level, I was the only Harpenden councillor within the Liberal Democrats to oppose these charges, which I believe were imposed from the top down without properly listening to residents.”
He also claimed the Lib Dems rushed through the much-delayed Local Plan under the old National Planning Policy Framework in November 2024, only to find out that housing numbers required under the new system were much higher than those in the Plan.
“Perhaps this was something that SADC couldn’t have avoided very easily – although they could have delayed the Plan to get the new numbers. The new numbers will most definitely affect the Plan and its viability but may not stop the now ‘old Plan’ from getting adopted.
“The new numbers will also result in many more speculative developments during the time that the new Plan is formulated to reflect the new housing numbers.
“I also found the call for sites process during the Local Plan formulation very ambiguous, particularly the site selection which was quite secretive and in my opinion did not follow the methodology very well. I have commented about this before during the consultation.
“While I encourage new houses, unfortunately the failure to adequately account for the correct number of houses required by the new system, will result in many more ad-hoc housing development applications throughout the district on important Green Belt land, far from public transport facilities and local amenities, and with an over-reliance on walking and cycling over long distances, along dangerous roads and up steep hills.
“This is something that has not been well thought out by the Liberal Democrats in St Albans, who as the group with the greatest number of committee places, consistently fail to adequately scrutinise the Local Plan and new development applications at committee.”
He said these were the reasons why he felt unable to remain part of the Liberal Democrat group, as he believed it is essential that councillors elected by local residents never lose sight of who elected them or the purpose they were chosen to serve.
“I will continue to serve the people of Harpenden independently, standing up for residents and focusing on the issues that matter to them,” he added.
Asked by the St Albans Times whether he had discussed his decision with anyone senior in the party before deciding to leave, he revealed: “No, they have been trying to get me to leave since I expressed differing views about the parking charges in Harpenden.
“The lack of opposition to these charges by other Harpenden Liberal Democrat district councillors really surprised me. Of course many of St Albans councillors were looking at Harpenden as being a source of income for the council and fully supported the charges.
“I have always been against the parking charges, like most residents and businesses, and continue to believe that one hour free parking in the centre of Harpenden is what is best for the High Street and the town.”
Ahead of the results of the public consultation into the Harpenden parking proposals back in November 2024, Cllr Canning went on the record to say he was completely against the SADC leadership’s decision to charge motorists.
“I love living in Harpenden, and part of what makes it so special living here is the open and vibrant High Street, where it is so easy to pop into the centre to visit a local independent retailer and enjoy a variety of wonderful local businesses without having to worry about parking meters and having to scramble to input your vehicle on an app that doesn’t work or find a machine that is not broken…
“I am fully with the residents and retailers of Harpenden and the town council who have all made their voices heard. They have been consistently asking SADC to work with them to try and find a solution to parking that works for everyone, and I am particularly disappointed with the leadership, especially given that the leader who has been pushing hard for the introduction of these charges lives in Harpenden and doesn’t seem to understand the impact this will have on the town.
“Unfortunately, the leader also currently has the backing of the majority of St Albans councillors who are not particularly concerned with the well-being of Harpenden over their own ward interests…
“Should they not choose to respect public opinion and listen to the concerns of retailers and the town council, then the administration should most definitely be held accountable for not listening to the people of Harpenden as they were recently reminded in the last by-election.”
In the wake of his resignation from the party, we asked whether he believed that the Liberal Democrats take into account the result of public consultations when deciding on policy, or are decisions like the Harpenden parking charges a fait accompli?
“Judging by the lack of response to the majority of residents and businesses that called for one hour free parking in the centre of Harpenden – no.
“Local politics needs to become more inclusive, representative and open in St Albans and I believe my move is one small step in this direction. I encourage other Liberal Democrat councillors to follow and encourage more Harpenden residents to vote for other opposition parties.
“The Lib Dems have far too many seats in St Albans, and the current committee system at SADC does not help in representing different local interests or allowing more participation in decision making.”
Harpenden town councillor Richard Scott, another Liberal Democrat who has been outspoken about the parking charges, responded: “I am sorry to learn that my friend and colleague Dason Canning has decided to leave the Liberal Democrat party.
“I have known and worked alongside Dason for many years. Like myself and many of his Harpenden Liberal Democrat colleagues, he has spoken out bravely and truthfully against the damaging and unwanted SADC parking regime.
“I am disappointed that our local party leadership have repeatedly failed to provide sufficient support and respect for diversity of viewpoint, consistent with our party’s values.
“Dason has consistently served as a local champion for Harpenden. I am sure Dason will continue to do so for the remainder of his term as a district councillor.”
Meanwhile, other party leaders have reacted to the news.
Cllr Simon Grover, leader of the Greens and Independents on SADC, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Dason into the group. Dason is a committed and thoughtful councillor, dedicated to serving his residents and the city and district, above and beyond anything else. And that’s the way it should be. He will be a valuable member of our growing group, and I very much look forward to working with him more closely.”
Conservative group leader Cllr Matt Cowley said: “The Lib Dems at St Albans district council are in complete chaos. Two councillors have resigned from the council this month and now another has left the party.
“I have spoken to Dason a few times over the past few years and I know that he is a dedicated and committed councillor. He can see, as the rest of us can, that a leadership which won’t listen and which only changes its mind when it might cost them seats at election time is incapable of running a council.”
Labour group leader Cllr Emma Turnbull added: “These are serious comments from a respected councillor who has seen the Liberal Democrats’ internal culture up close.
“When a councillor feels forced out after raising concerns about transparency, debate, and the treatment of colleagues, it raises important questions about how the council is being run. Residents deserve a council that listens, welcomes scrutiny, and makes decisions openly. On too many recent occasions, we have not seen this.
“Instead we have seen councillor and public questions being rejected by committee chairs at committee meetings, the intolerance of lead councillors to being questioned, and important decisions being made behind closed doors in secret meetings.”
We asked SADC leader Cllr Paul de Kort various questions in the wake of Cllr Canning’s resignation, including whether he had any sort of discussion with Cllr Canning beforehand, perhaps to persuade him not to go?
We also wanted to know whether he thought local politics are being shaped by a small group of senior councillors as Cllr Canning claims, or the wider administration?
He responded: “Neither myself or any other group officers had prior discussion with Cllr Canning about his resignation.
“He had supported our budget at the end of February, so his decision to step down – communicated by email – came as a surprise. Nonetheless, we thank him for his service.
“Within the district Liberal Democrat group, decision‑making is shaped by a broad and active membership. We have numerous forums for discussion, and 12 members of our leadership team are elected annually by the whole group, ensuring strong internal democracy and wide representation.
“The previous Liberal Democrat council leader [Cllr Chris White] introduced an ‘ask the leader anything’ Q&A session at Full Council to improve accountability to councillors of all parties and crucially to the public. This has been continued with vigour since I took over the leader role.
“Councillors, including Cllr Canning, regularly make use of this opportunity to raise concerns in this public forum.
“Despite challenging local government funding conditions, we have navigated successive difficult budget cycles and are now on course to clear the final hurdle in delivering a Local Plan that will shield our countryside from speculative development—something no previous administration has achieved.
“As we head into the local elections, we’re proud to stand on our strong record of delivery, as well as our exciting plans for the future.”
Crucially, no answers were provided to the following questions:
Is there a policy within the administration to remove councillors who do not agree with the party line? Are they threatened that this will happen if they vote against policies like the Local Plan and the budget?
How many serving councillors on the district council and Harpenden Town Council have been subject to any attempt to remove them from the Liberal Democrats?
Is there in fact a culture of bullying within the Liberal Democrats? Are you worried about more councillors stepping down?
