"I'll quit," says Independent Peter Thirlwall

INDEPENDENT councillor Peter Thirlwall has revealed that he will not stand for Rotherham Borough Council again after his defeat in the general election.

His seat in Wickersley will be up for re-election in May 2011, but the outspoken member has indicated that he will call time on his political career.

His 2,366 votes in the Rotherham constituency were only enough for fifth place in the constituency won by Denis MacShane with more than 16,000 votes.

Cllr Thirlwall said: “I have to admit that the majority of the electorate do not appear to support what I have been doing.

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“Most of the people I have spoken to tell me how much they despise the Labour council and how they positively hate Denis MacShane, but they have voted for Labour in their thousands.

“This doesn’t seem to have changed much during the many years I have been campaigning in Rotherham.

“I’m not in a corner licking my wounds, but I do have to be realistic. I’m nearly 65 and there’s a lot of other things I want to do with my life.

“There will be other people to take my place and carry this on.”