Mr Cuthbertson joins Steve Batkin to form a BNP group on the council

Barry Cuthbertson says he decided to join the far-right party because he believes freedom of speech in Britain is being "curtailed".

The Norton and Bradeley councillor also believes political mismanagement has brought the people of Stoke to their knees.

Elected mayor Mike Wolfe accused the BNP of peddling hate.

He said the party offered false and racist "solutions" to the city's problems.

"I am disappointed, but not surprised because, like a lot of us, Barry Cuthbertson is impatient," the mayor said.

"Stoke-on-Trent needs new industries, new houses and new roads to reinvent itself and bring back high-value jobs to eradicate poverty.

"They (the BNP) are saying there is a simple solution - get rid of the asylum seekers or go back to being English and all will be well.

"Actually, of course it isn't true. Even with the arrival of asylum seekers, Stoke is losing population and being more English won't rebuild our traditional industries.

'Political mismanagement'

"Most perniciously, this party's attractive frontage is hiding a political philosophy based on hate.

"Behind the neighbourhood activists who are now recruiting are hiding racist thugs and people who believe in using violence to impose their narrow-minded hatred on us all."

In a statement issued on the BNP website, Mr Cuthbertson claimed the people of Stoke had been "brought to their knees by years of political mismanagement at a national and local level".