A DISTRICT councillor has stepped down from the council's Independent group in order to chair an important internal committee.

John Syme, an Independent councillor for Warminster West, had been one of four Independent councillors.

Cllr Syme will now chair the council's internal overview committee. It scrutinises the council's internal affairs and decisions taken by the cabinet, and reports its findings to the full council.

Council rules state that the chairman of a scrutiny committee cannot be a member of the council's controlling group. As the council is currently run by a Conservative/Independent coalition this meant Cllr Syme could not have held the post without stepping down from the Independent group.

Cllr Syme said: "I felt it was important to keep party politics out of the committee. It's an interesting committee that deals with almost everything the council does."