A UKIP councillor has resigned from the party with immediate affect just two months after being elected.

Colin Churchman, who represents Stanford East and Corringham Town, said his decision was based on being “whipped” on how he should and shouldn’t vote on the Thurrock Council planning committee.

Ukip party policy is to vote against developments on the green belt, but parties must not interfere with the individual votes of their members on planning matters.

Mr Churchman, a former Conservative councillor and Mayor, voted in favour of the controversial St Luke’s Hospice and 50 homes plan on green belt land in Horndon-on-the-Hill last month, which in turn angered his party members.

Ukip Thurrock leader Councillor Graham Snell said Mr Churchman’s resignation is regrettable, and now hopes he’ll stand down as councillor and attempt to win re-election. Mr Churchman intends to see through his term.

Mr Churchman, a Ukip member for the last two years, said: “During that time I have been a member of the planning committee at Thurrock Council, I have been approached repeatedly by the leadership of UKIP regarding planning process; and who attempted to discuss certain items of the planning agenda that would have predetermined me and left Thurrock Council open for a legal challenge and it would be unfair also to the planning applicants and the Authority and unacceptable to me.

“The leader of the UKIP group continually whipped me - UKIP apparently do not whip members of their political group - because it is UKIP party policy not to support any development within the greenbelt. I also have strong views regarding development in the greenbelt.

“However, when you are part of the planning process and a member of the planning committee you cannot bring political policy into your decision making process and members have to be fair and open and abide to the Authorities constitution and also the rules.

“When I attempted to point this out to the leadership of my group, he told me the best thing to do was to take me off the planning committee, so I could maintain my integrity. I will leave the people who read this to make up their own minds what precisely was meant by that.

“One of the most important things to me is the residents of Thurrock Stanford East and Corringham town Ward for electing me as their representative. I look forward to helping the residents for the rest of my term; I will do my best for them.

“Three years ago I had an accident that left me disabled such that I have had to overcome many challenges during this time in my life. However nothing has been as tough as the challenges I have endured being a member of the UKIP party at Thurrock.”

In response, Mr Snell said: "Councillor Churchman's resignation, whilst regrettable, has not come as a shock. We had hoped that we would, as a group, benefit and learn from Colin's great wealth of experience from his previous stints as both Councillor and Mayor. However, that was not to be.

"Councillor Churchman seemed to find it difficult coming into a strong UKIP group with strong leadership and, as time went on, isolated himself by not turning up to meetings when requested to do so.

"We would like to remind Councillor Churchman that he was elected by the people of Stanford East and Corringham Town as a UKIP Councillor after the hard work put in by Councillor Roy Jones and that UKIP has set a precedent nationally of elected members, when wanting to change allegiance, standing down and putting their decision to a public vote.

“Therefore, we urge Councillor Churchman to follow the example of Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless by calling a local by-election."