Wiltshire Councillor resigns from Conservative Group criticising ‘mafia-style’ political culture

A Wiltshire Councillor has resigned from the Conservative Group on Wiltshire Council, citing a ‘mafia-style political culture’ in the group that prioritises control, misinformation, and financial incentives over transparency, accountability and public service.

Cllr Antonio Piazza’s resignation follows a recent story in Melksham News in which members of the Conservative group on Wiltshire Council were accused of misleading the public by inaccurately reporting the council’s Adult Social Care inspection rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Cllr Piazza, who represents the Trowbridge Drynham ward, also accused the Conservative leadership of using the council’s Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) system—additional payments awarded to councillors with extra duties—as a tool to ensure loyalty and suppress opposition. 

The resignation comes amid growing discontent within the Conservative group. Cllr Piazza is the third Conservative councillor to leave the group in the past year. In April 2024, Cllr Edward Kirk resigned after council leader Richard Clewer appointed his wife to the position of Portfolio Holder for Communications, a role with an £8,927 SRA. In October 2024, Cllr Mike Sankey, Wiltshire Councillor for Melksham East, also resigned, citing concerns over public notices, infrastructure delays, road safety and the council’s treatment of an Afghan refugee couple in Melksham.

In a statement, Cllr Piazza said, “I have made the decision to leave the Conservative Group on Wiltshire Council with immediate effect. I can no longer tolerate a mafia-style political culture that prioritises control, misinformation, and financial incentives over transparency, accountability and public service.”

Cllr Piazza’s departure is linked to what he described as the circulation of misleading information by the Conservative Cabinet regarding Wiltshire Council’s Adult Social Care rating. Over 40 Conservative candidates, including senior cabinet members, shared a false claim on social media stating that the council had achieved the highest possible CQC rating of ‘Good’. However, the top rating available is ‘Outstanding’, which was confirmed by both the CQC and Wiltshire Council itself, while the council received only a ‘Good’ rating. Cllr Piazza claims that when he pointed out the inaccuracy, he was removed from the Conservative group’s WhatsApp chat without warning, which he labelled as an attempt to silence criticism.

“This is not a simple mistake,” he continued. “It is part of a wider pattern of misrepresentation and political spin that misleads the public and undermines trust in local government. Rather than correct the record, the leadership has doubled down, refusing to acknowledge the inaccuracy. Honesty should be the foundation of public service, yet in Wiltshire Council’s cabinet, it has become an inconvenient afterthought.”

Further criticising the council’s approach, Cllr Piazza accused the Conservative leadership of using the council’s Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) system—additional payments awarded to councillors with extra duties—as a tool to ensure loyalty and suppress opposition. He claimed that more than 60% of Conservative councillors, including the leader’s wife, receive SRAs, creating a culture where financial incentives discourage effective scrutiny and silence those who challenge decisions.

“Even though I am not running for re-election in May, I cannot stay silent while this mafia-like system continues unchecked,” said Cllr Piazza. “Wiltshire deserves better than a system where taxpayer money is used not to serve residents, but to consolidate control and silence those who dare to speak the truth.”

The Conservative Group leader, Cllr Richard Clewer, said, “Firstly I want to acknowledge that I did make a slight error on a Facebook post about the Council’s CQC rating. I said that Wiltshire’s Good grade was the highest grade, I should have said the highest grade awarded to any council so far. This was corrected inside a few hours. 

“I am extremely surprised and disappointed at Cllr Piazza’s lack of understanding about the achievements of Wiltshire Council and our staff. We have been rated as Outstanding for Children’s Servies, the top rating possible for SEND and Good by the Care Quality Commission. That external validation of the work and performance of Wiltshire Council and our staff should be celebrated.  

“Instead of celebrating this he has chosen to undermine the huge achievement of our staff. I suspect if he had attended more than 35% of the meetings he was supposed to attend last year, or any of our group meetings, he would have a better idea of the scale of that achievement. 

“Cllr Piazza announced in October that he was going to stand down as a Wiltshire Councillor in 2025. A couple of weeks later he applied to the Conservative Party to stand for Wiltshire Council in 2025 in what he saw as a safe seat. I was not part of the committee that considered that application and they chose another candidate. I suspect that Cllr Piazza’s appalling attendance record as a councillor was a factor in him being rejected.  

“I understand his appeal against that decision has recently been dismissed, I played no part in that appeal, so it comes as no surprise that he has now resigned from the Conservative Group on Wiltshire Council.  

“Cllr Piazza made comments about Wiltshire Council’s CQC rating on a wider Wiltshire Conservative Whatsapp Group. That is not a group I am an administrator for. He was removed from that group for persistently breaching it’s rules by a group administrator.” 

Pictured: Cllr Antonio Piazza