Council members who have no political affiliation are joining forces under one banner.
With live broadcasting of district and county meetings, the South Holland Independents hope members of the public will choose not to use politics to decide local issues.
“I hope people will have seen that councillors belonging to a political party vote with the party leader and along party lines. We want to represent the people of the district and vote the way they want us to,” said Rob Gibson, a member of the district council who is also standing for the county.
The South Holland Independents are currently recruiting for the 2023 district elections and some members will also be standing in the forthcoming county elections.
“Joining together gives a more cohesive group,” said Mr Gibson.
He said a manifesto as such was not feasible as it was unlikely the group would hold a majority of seats on either district or council at this stage.
“There are plenty of things we can do for the people of South Holland though. We think some council members don’t feel the need to work hard because they have a guaranteed, safe Conservative seat,” he said.
“We want to work hard for the district – the people who live here know it best.”
Members so far include Mr Gibson, Coun Angela Newton, Coun Jane King and Coun Manzur Hasan.
The independent group also has its own website at www.shindependents.com and can be found on Facebook.
The county council elections will be held on Thursday, May 6 and nomination papers for candidates must be returned by 4pm on Thursday, April 8.
Candidates must make an appointment to hand in nominations in order to comply with the current COVID-19 restrictions.
A full list of those standing will be available on the county council website nearer the time.
