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A sitting Penrith Councillor has quit the Liberal Party ahead of the September elections, declaring there is no place for party politics in local government.

Councillor Brian Cartwright, who was elected during the 2018 by-election, recently left the party blaming factional politics for his exit.

I dont believe there should be any party politics in local government, I dont think thats necessarily good for the community, he said.

But theres absolutely no place for factional politics at any time, and thats what were finding at the moment backroom deals, potential branch stacking, its not good for anybody and I just dont want to be a part of that.

While he was not naive to the world of politics, Cr Cartwright claimed factions within the party over the last few months, which saw him blindsided and dumped from Councillor Mark Davies ticket, had taken their toll.

Weve got Council, State, Federal elections all coming up in the next 12 to 18 months or so, so theyre playing the long game, theyre trying to position their pieces on the board so they can get control of the branches and the conferences so then they can determine who gets pre-selection, he said.

So if they can control pre-selection, then they can control who the candidates are going to be for all the upcoming elections.

They dont care if there are sitting Councillors or sitting State or Federal members, these people theyll burn the village just to achieve their own objectives regardless of the damage they cause along the way.

Cr Cartwright, who has also opted not to contest the September 4 election as an independent, suggested reforms were needed across the board.

However, when the Weekender approached the Office of Local Government for comment, it dodged the question, saying it was a matter entirely for the Liberal Party.

When asked if he denied any sort of drama behind the scenes, Cr Davies said: Theres always the rough and tumble of politics.

Thats just the nature of it, but when someone doesnt end up getting a guernsey on your ticket and they expected to, obviously hes not happy, I understand that, but thats politics, its not my decision on everything, he said.

Ive been on Council for 17 years so far, and I think Brians been on for two years, so I think Ive got a longer track record of getting along with my colleagues than what he does.

Cr Davies revealed he had withdrawn his nomination to challenge fellow Liberal Melissa McIntosh for the seat of Lindsay, and said his political aspirations were to get elected in September.

Labor veteran Councillor Greg Davies, who flagged earlier this year that he would not contest the elections on a Labor Party ticket, said that decision had nothing to do with his political allegiance but rather uncertainly about whether he would run at all.

Theres no dramas in the [Labor] Party, he said.

I hadnt made my mind up by pre-selections.

He disagreed with the notion of removing party politics from local government, suggesting it would create difficulties in decision making.

It is unclear who the Liberal Party will endorse to replace Cr Cartwrights position, with Cr Davies saying it was yet to be confirmed.

Cr Cartwright said he did not go public to lecture the Liberal Party on how to do its job, but said it was important the public was aware of the issues.

Its just to raise awareness within the community about whats happening in the upcoming elections, he said.

The Weekender understands the Liberal Party will finalise its candidates for the election in the coming weeks.

Alena Higgins is the Weekenders Senior News Reporter, primarily covering courts and Council issues.

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Councillor quits Liberals, says party politics rife ahead of Local Government Election in September The Western Weekender - The Western Weekender