A councillor says she feels “betrayed” by her party after she was not picked to stand in this year’s election.

Rosemary Gilligan, who represents Shenley on Hertsmere Borough Council, was elected in May last year for a four-year term.

But a change in the authority’s constitution means all seats will be contested on May 7 – and Cllr Gilligan was not selected to stand again, despite devoting 13 years to the council.

Fellow Conservative councillors for Borehamwood, Pat Strack, Sandra Parnell and Clive Butchins, who all have 21 years of service between them, have not been reselected either.

After the news broke, Cllr Gilligan left the Tory party to stand as the borough’s only Independent councillor.

She told the Borehamwood Times: “I won’t retire gracefully. I care too much about my residents. They are angry – they voted me in last year, and now this?

“It doesn’t matter if the Conservatives have lost faith in me – my residents haven’t and they are up in arms. They think it’s amazing.

“I’ve been asked, who do they think they are to get rid of you? I’ve had so much support from my residents. They feel hard-done-by. To pretend I’m not upset about this is nonsense.”

Last year, Cllr Gilligan was elected with 749 votes, while the UK Independence Party candidate came second with just 260 votes.

Hillside councillor Sandra Parnell won 1,060 of 2,431 votes and Brookmeadow councillor Clive Butchins won 822 votes.

But Pat Strack, who was elected to council in 2006, narrowly missed out on becoming a councillor in Kenilworth for a third term to Labour’s John Galliers.

Daniel Griffin, who was also not re-selected, stood down from his role as Aldenham West councillor with immedaite effect.

And Bushey representative Leslie Winters, who was not selected either, has decided to stand as an Independent candidate in May. He said the news made him feel as though he had been 'kicked in the stomach'.

Meanwhile, Cllr Gilligan says she is unphased by her party’s “clear lack of interest” and will also stand again as an Independent councillor.

She added: “I’ve been told it may be time to give other people a go and that I’m good and there’s nothing wrong with me, it’s just time for a change.

“But I feel betrayed. I wasn’t even given a heads-up. This has come completely out of the blue.

“I thought the proof was in the pudding – I got a huge majority at the last election but clearly that means nothing.

“I love helping people and you feel like you’ve made a huge difference to someone’s life. It’s been very fulfilling. The confidence my community have in me has made me want to continue.”

John Graham, the chairman of the executive council overseeing the reselection process, said: “In preparing ourselves for the first regular set of all-out elections in Hertsmere, the Hertsmere Conservative Association has been undertaking a process of candidate interviews and selections.

“We have been astounded by the interest and response with nearly 50 eligible candidates vying for the 39 seats available. We have ensured that the selection process is equitable with all candidates subject to the same process and asked the same questions.

“In making their final selection the committee have had some difficult decisions to make and certainly with such competition there will always be disappointed people.

“But we believe we have selected the best people to take the authority forward over the next four years.

“There is no slight intended on any member who has not been reselected and naturally we hope they will all continue to remain involved with the Conservatives in Hertsmere in other ways.”