The party leaders candidates explain vote for them and independent why you should and their party

Kareen Boyd, independent candidate for Old Town

LOCAL authorities have draconian powers which this Conservative administration uses to devastating effect against the public they are in post to serve. Localism will increase these powers.

A council is the custodian of assets owned by and for the public and should not dispose of these assets without public involvement or acceptance. To do otherwise is to deny democracy and blight the lives of those who will come after us. Open and green space is precious and must be treated with respect.

To re-elect Conservatives is to give a mandate to continue what they have done to the fabric of Swindon over the last seven years.

The focus should not be on fool hardy business ventures, inappropriate development and distancing the council from the public. It should be about making our town and our area the best it can be.

We all know the benefits of teamwork and how good behaviours bring good results and an ethos of integrity. Vote for those who recognise this and want to include you in true regeneration for our home. Be independent and vote for change.

Paul Hurst, Independent candidate for Wroughton and Wichelstowe

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If you want something different, you have to do something different”.

Many people attribute this quote to Anthony Robbins, renowned motivational speaker and self-improvement guru. Other people will tell you that Albert Einstein said it. Before him Henry Ford gets the credit or even Mark Twain. It does not matter which of these thought leaders said it. What matters is the truth of it and the point of it.

I invite the Wroughton/Wichelstowe electorate to do something different.

I have lived in the village since 1990 and have been a parish councillor since 2007.

I believe that party politics play no part in local elections and voters should be looking for individuals who are strong, determined and prepared to do their best for their community.

I am well placed with good knowledge of both the locality and its residents and that is why I am standing as an independent candidate.

The local issues I would tackle are:

  • Traffic and road safety
  • Young people’s involvement in the community
  • Improve sports fields and facilities
  • Easier routes and better footpaths, cycle routes through the village.

John Newman, Independent candidate for Wroughton and Wichelstowe

BORN and bred in Wroughton, my experience in Swindon and London, representing rail, construction and local government workers, provides a useful background to my role as a parish councillor since 1999.

Re-elected three times since then and as chairman of the planning committee l Continued from Page 9 since 2006, I have consistently and successfully fought for key council policies including:

  • Avoiding coalescence with Swindon by maintaining the rural buffer.
  • Brownfield sites to be used before greenfield sites.
  • Against the road linking Wichelstowe, via tunnel under the M4, with junction 16, bringing traffic chaos and development into Wroughton.

I have been privileged to represent Wroughton Parish Council at public inquiries, through public campaigns and in dealings with national and local government, gaining support, so that major development south of the M4 is no longer part of the Swindon local plan.

As an elected borough councillor I would work with others, irrespective of party, committed to preventing unsustainable and damaging development in any part of Swindon, by unaccountable developers driven by short-term gain.

I will continue to fight for accountable public services that are the lifeblood of any community and against any cuts imposed by a Con/Lib Dem government and its borough council supporters.