Call for Independent candidates

We want to attract more people to stand as Independent Candidates in the 2015 Local Elections in order to challenge the party political establishment that is destroying public trust and confidence in local government.

It always saddens me to see good people lining up to vote for things they don't agree with but feel obliged to give priority to party loyalty rather than for the principles they believe in! We want to put them on notice!

In a bid to get independent-minded people involved in local politics, the Cheshire Independent Network will be staging a special conference in April on 12th April for people who would like to be involved in council work but don't want to join a political party.

Cheshire East Independent Leader, Cllr Brendan Murphy says: "We need people who will make decisions on merit, not on party loyalty... people who believe in transparency and accountability, not secrecy and buck passing... and people who will take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions."

"We are not against political parties as such. The problem is party members have been swallowed by the party machines. It is sad to see so many good people sitting in a row with their hands going up and down in line with the party whip. We need independent thinking people to challenge these 'robots' and rattle their cages."

Conference speakers will explain what is involved for people who want to stand as candidates – the skills needed and the time commitment. We well tell people how to campaign and will give training on the "do's and don'ts".

There will be a workshop on media, producing leaflets and how to use social media. The conference will attract not just prospective candidates but also people who want to campaign on local issues.

The principal speaker will be a leading expert in local government politics- Colin Copus, Professor of Governance at De Montfort University.

For more information, contact: conference@voteindependent.co.uk

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