AFTER years of campaigning against his own administration, Cllr Kim Gottlieb may be kicked out of the Conservative group at Winchester City Council tonight.
Many from outside the district are surprised that the Silver Hill critic has survived for this long. There are plenty of councils where this would not happen.
But that, perhaps, is a result of Winchester’s gentle party politics. Cross-party consensus is desirable in many ways but has, in the view of investigator Claer Lloyd-Jones, led Silver Hill down the road to ruin without effective opposition or scrutiny.
Campaign groups calling for closer examination of major projects have identified a potential remedy to the council’s ills, but will face an uphill battle to win seats if they field candidates at May’s election.
Cllr Gottlieb wants to remain a Tory and is tight-lipped on the possibility of running as an independent. He is surely aware of the challenges faced by those canvassing without a party. 
There were great expectations in 2002 for Winchester Landscape Conservation Alliance, the independent cohort who took on the council over development controversies of the day. But they failed to beat a single Conservative or Lib Dem in the polls and faded from memory.
Things may be different this time, but council procedure is not a doorstep issue. Can the Silver Hill rebels sort out parking and collect the bins on time?