Local people living in and around the village of Temple Cloud, near Chew Valley, are being encouraged to stand as an Independent candidate in the upcoming B&NES Council by-election on Thursday 3rd July.
A by-election has been called for the Mendip ward after the resignation of Liberal Democrat David Wood, and the seat is expected to be hotly contested.
New political movement, ‘Independents for B&NES’, which wants to see more Independent councillors on the Local Authority, is on the lookout for a community-spirited individual to stand under a non-party political banner.
Cllr Karen Walker is Group Leader of the Independents for B&NES. She said:
“Independent councillors have a track record and long history of getting things done on B&NES Council. For the last 25 years there has been a strong group of Independents in the council chamber, often providing a voice for common sense – free from party politics.
Independent councillors get a lot done for their communities too, largely because they don’t have to follow a party line and are able to vote for what’s in the best interests of the ward they represent.”
The Mendip ward on Bath and North East Somerset Council comprises the villages to the southwest of the district and includes Temple Cloud, West Harptree, East Harptree, Cameley, Hinton Blewitt, North Widcombe and South Widcombe.
The ward has been represented by a Liberal Democrat since 2019, but with the party’s unpopularity on the rise, the by-election battle is certainly ‘one to watch’.
The ruling Lib Dems lost a seat on the council only has recently as January in the village of Saltford when new Independent Councillor Chris Warren won a by-election. It was the first time the Lib Dems had lost a seat in a B&NES by-election ever!
“We know how to beat the Lib Dems”, said Cllr Warren, “Independents for B&NES have a tried and tested campaign model that works.
Do you live in the ward of Mendip? Are you passionate about your local community? Do you want to make a difference? Consider standing as an Independent candidate in the upcoming B&NES by-election. You’ll have the full support of our Independents for B&NES campaign team, and we’ll produce a campaign plan for you.”
For more information about standing as an Independent Candidate in the B&NES Council by-election for Mendip contact Nathan Hartley by emailing nathan_hartley@msn.com
Cllr Gavin Heathcote (Independent, Peasedown) added:
“Our Independent movement in B&NES is growing, more and more people are telling us that they like our common-sense approach to getting things done. There is a real chance that the villages of Temple Cloud and East Harptree, and the small rural communities around them, could be represented by an Independent after 3rd July.
Could this be you? Then get in touch!”
