Crowds gathered outside Batley Town Hall to challenge his policies and views on repatriation.

But on Friday, scenes could not have been more different, as a stunned David Exley quietly slipped away, reeling from the result.

Looking back on his five years as a councillor, Mr Exley spoke of his appointment in Heckmondwike, his work and his greatest achievements

He said: "Getting elected in the first place was a big achievement. When I was elected, people started to realise that Heckmondwike existed and there was a lot to be done in the town. When I was elected I didn't just talk about getting things done, I did the work.

"I've supported many projects for the regeneration of Heckmondwike. We've pushed through the CCTV, got the old toilets knocked down and had the area landscaped, and I've supported the regeneration of Green Park.

"With the improvements on the health centre, I put the work in to get the land released because it was under a covenant.

"We've also done a lot of work on the Dale Lane estate with Children's Services, and securing funds from the Spen Valley area committee so young people have somewhere to go and don't have to hang around on street corners – which can be intimidating.

"We've also been doing a lot of traffic surveys and looking at traffic provision in Heckmondwike as part of the A638 road improvements and Heckmondwike has infrastructure in the town centre.

"I wanted to see the work that has been started through to fruition, but now this isn't possible – I will hand over my case work to Roger and he will take up the reins from where I left off. I will still definitely be involved with the BNP and assist Roger when I can."

In response to Steve Hall's comments that the BNP jump on the bandwagons of other parties, Mr Exley said: "Yes, some things were already in the pipeline when I got elected, but they needed the support and hard work to actually get them through to fruition.

"The plans for the clock were in the pipeline but it needed someone to get it going and the CCTV has been pushed for years but I had the will to work at it when I got elected."

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