READ MORE: Cumberland councillor slams Labour leadership and quits party

AS A journalist you build up contacts and trusted sources over the weeks, months and years that you work within a particular patch and today that paid off. Basically they trust you because you faithfully and truthfully report what happens.

A few weeks ago a west Cumbrian councillor, who is a member of Cumberland Council, took me to one side for a quiet word.

He said he was thinking of leaving the Labour Party, after decades of membership, because he disagreed with the direction the Government was heading and it was not the first resignation as another west Cumbrian councillor had publicly announced her resignation via Facebook for exactly the same reason in late January – and both were very critical of Labour politicians who were “parachuted” into Cumbrian constituencies ahead of the General Election and were more than happy to toe the party line.

It was worth the wait as this afternoon I got a message from councillor Mike Hawkins (Mirehouse, Independent) who said he had sent me his statement about his resignation.

Let’s just say it was a quick turn around of the article and it was on the News & Star website just after 5pm. Unfortunately it was too late for the printed version of tomorrow’s Whitehaven News, which had gone before I received the email, but at least it also got used on the websites of the Whitehaven News and the Times & Star.

Having said that, as a reporter for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), there is chance the story will be picked up by other partner media outlets which have signed up to the scheme.