PROSPECTIVE parish councillors have until Tuesday afternoon to put themselves forward to stand in May’s election.

Last year, the council took the controversial decision to create new parishes in the half of the town that was not previously parished.

The new councils include Central Swindon South, Central Swindon North and West Swindon.

The previously unparished areas of Eldene and Liden are to join with Nythe to become a new joint parish.

Blunsdon has also been split from St Andrews to form two councils where one previously operated.

Shadow parish councils, made up of borough councillors, have been operating in an interim capacity since the start of the year.

They have made initial decisions on which services to take on, which borough council assets to accept, how much to budget and what the parish precept will be.

But the shadow councillors were not elected to those roles. On May 4, the public will choose who they want as their representatives.

Candidates need the support of two residents from their parish in order to get on to the ballot.

Inevitably the main political parties will look to put candidates forward but it is also looking likely that a number of independent candidates might also make a stand.

One such candidate is veteran community activist Tony Hillier. He has previously contested borough elections as an independent and says it is important that party politics doesn’t dominate the new parish set up.

“It is very important to have independents on these new councils,” he said. “We are talking about local issues like grass cutting and libraries, those should not become party political matters.”

But Tony knows that standing against mainstream party candidates can come at a financial cost. In an effort to stop this from dissuading others, he has joined with fellow independent candidate, Colin Doubleday, to launch a crowdfunding campaign to assist with expenses and campaigning costs for those with no party affiliation.

Tony added: “Councillors do not get paid and yet we need money to pay for leaflets, meeting rooms and other election costs.”

Swindon-born Colin, who has been a long-time participant in the Pipers Area Residents Association, said: “The political parties collect funds from a wide range of people and will pay the bills of all of their candidates, then they will have many volunteers on the streets to drum up support.

“We do not have that opportunity, but we are keen to serve the community.”

Colin and Tony are standing in the newly created Central South Swindon parish on a platform calling for more openness and inclusivity in Swindon’s politics.

They want to explore new ways of measuring public support for ideas and make feedback from the community an integral part of the decision-making process.

Colin said: “It is important that people can ask questions and offer opinions at all stages of debate and that the parish shares information effectively to those who cannot attend meetings.

“We would like to see local polls, Facebook and other social media and a totally open approach to parish council matters.”

Tony added: “We need good people on the parish council and we hope that many other independents stand.”

To help support them and other independent candidates, visit www.tilt.com/tilts/independent-candidates-for-swindon-parish-council

A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: “There is still time for anyone interested in serving their local community to put their names forward for the forthcoming parish elections.

"Anyone wishing to stand in the elections should contact the Electoral Services team to obtain a nomination form and these should be returned by 4pm on Tuesday, April 4. "The team will also be happy to explain how parish councils work and what the role of a parish councillor entails.”

To find out more, visit www.swindon.gov.uk/parishes