A popular St Andrews councillor has been dropped by her party for next year’s council elections.
Dorothea Morrison said she was “very, very disappointed” she had not been selected to stand for the Conservatives next May.
Since the news spread, she said she had been offered more support from opposition councillors than her own party.
Mrs Morrison has represented St Andrews ward for more than nine years and said putting the town first appeared to have led to her being sidelined.
In both the 2012 and 2007 elections she received the greatest share of the town’s first preference votes.
Mrs Morrison said: “I spend all my time as a councillor working away quietly seven days a week on things that matter to the community but the Conservatives, it would appear, are looking for someone who spends their time out canvassing and writing letters to The Courier.
“My constituents and the town have always come first.
“I have taken the role very seriously and done what I thought I was elected to do.”
However, she revealed she may stand for election as an independent councillor.
She said: “A lot of people have already said I should stand as an independent councillor. I will wait and decide in the new year.”
Mrs Morrison opposed the Pipeland site for a new Madras College, an issue which has caused deep divisions in the town, and worked to ensure a £200,000 high quality upgrade of Church Square and Logies Lane will go ahead.
She is one of only three Conservative councillors in Fife but the party intends to stand a number of candidates for election next year.
Fife Conservative and Unionist Association chairman Dave Dempsey said: “The party instigated a two-stage process in parallel with what is done for parliament elections.
“The first stage is approval, the second is matching approved candidates to wards.
“To use the word ‘selection’ is incorrect.
“The approval process is not done by the local association and it is this stage that Dorothea is referring to.”
Meanwhile the party has announced some of the candidates it will field in Fife, including Mr Dempsey for Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay.
Others are Michael Green (Glenrothes North), David Ross (Dunfermline South), Alan Craig, Graham Ritchie (Leven, Kennoway and Largo), Darren Watt (Cowdenbeath), Gavin Ellis (Dunfermline North), Tony Orton (Rosyth) and Kathleen Leslie (Burntisland, Kinghorn and Western Kirkcaldy).
Mr Ritchie will also stand in the December by-election for Leven, Kennoway and Largo.
