Husband and wife Mark and Jacqui Gadd, members of New Mills Town Council, confirmed their decision on Monday.

Mark, who is also a member of High Peak Borough Council, has been welcomed to the ruling Conservative Group.

Explaining the move the couple, in a statement to the Advertiser, said: "We have done this because we do not want to be involved in the various disputes that have been well documented in the press which got in the way of us working for the people of New Mills.

"We believe the people of New Mills East voted for us as people, not only for our political alliance and we have not changed – our reason for standing for council was to help make New Mills a better place to live and that we will continue to do.

"We look forward to working with and for the people of New Mills East as before."

The move has been welcomed by the ruling Conservative Group on High Peak Borough Council.

However, their decision has come under fire from Liberal Democrat Leader in New Mills Steve Sharp who said: "At a stroke, Tories have now foisted two councillors on the people of New Mills East, who in good faith voted Liberal Democrat at the last election.

"Both the Councillors Gadd were elected on a Liberal Democrat ticket with a combined total of over a thousand votes from New Mills East. They have now jumped ship to a right-wing party, with no mandate from the electorate. When thinking about genuine election chances for the Tories in those particular areas, the words 'snowball' and 'hell' spring to mind.

"At long last this is the end to a saga which arose directly from a family feud rather than any major local political issues.

"I would respectfully remind both the Councillors Gadd that in terms of popular politics people rarely like a turn-coat.

"Personally, I am fully expecting Councillor Mark Gadd to be named as the next Deputy Mayor of the High Peak.

"This would be the reward for their act of treachery, both to the party whose resources they used in order to get elected and also to the people who went out and cast their votes and who were sold a false prospectus by these two individuals."