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Strong Team Of Independents
(April 18, 2017)
Warminster local council elections are in the past a contest between two or three political parties and more recently only one political party has put forward candidates. 
In Warminster the idea that Independents could stand and upset the applecart was at first dismissed and when the local poll was held at the same time as a nation election it did not work.
Four years ago five Independents stood when local issues were only being voted on and all five were elected ousting Conservatives including their leader and former Mayor.
"We Independents are known for our individual passions and goals while still working as a team regularly chatting over a cuppa or a brekkie in town," explains Cllr. Paul Macdonald.
"Each one of us reaches out to local people in our own way to listen to day to day issues and set aside our political views to focus on taking Warminster forward.
"We are less united by policy but more by principles. We have a reluctance to enforce a collective line."
"In some way we start as the underdogs in the campaign especially as I make no bones about it we saw a straight Independent against Tory contest in 2013.
The 2013 local elections saw three Independent candidates stand in the East Ward and two in the Broadway Ward. The West Ward was uncontested giving the Tories a four seat head start.
"This time eleven strong very local Independent candidates are on the ballot papers when voters start voting by postal vote first and then in person on the first Thursday in May.
"Party politics has also increased. I am increasingly confident that the last four years of hardworking Independent councillor input into the town council has been recognised.
"The introduction of more party political candidates does not change anything.
"We Independents have decided to run on our own rather than accept a party political label as our town comes first.
"I have to admit," adds Paul. "I hope we can put council party politics into freefall in our town.
"In recent years candidates going forward as Independents have been moving from the margins to having a big influence with no better example than Frome.
"This our turn now."