UKIP bosses are set to consider evidence put forward by a group of breakaway councillors who are appealing against being kicked out of the party.
The Guardian understands that Spalding councillors Alan Jesson and Richard Fairman met party bosses on Tuesday to appeal against a decision to kick them out of UK Independence Party.
The pair were among a group of five removed from the party after following ousted leader Chris Pain to the breakaway ‘UKIP Lincolnshire’ group.
The councillors are said to have put forward ‘substantial evidence’ to dispel allegations that they had formed a rival political party in a bid to reverse the decision.
The party bosses deferred their judgement on the matter and hope to reach a final decision on their future by the end of the year.
The UKIP split earlier this year meant it no longer operated as the official opposition on the county council, with the main party group only now amounting to ten councillors.
Labour, with 12 members, became the official opposition.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage recently told our sister paper the Boston Standard that Coun Pain had been kicked out due to ‘racist’ Facebook posts.
But the ousted leader hit back and said the allegations were never proven by police and that other reasons lay behind his removal.