Your town, your voice!

THE Independents for Frome (IfF) are looking for new candidates to stand in the upcoming town council elections in May.

IfF have held the majority of seats on Frome Town Council since 2011, winning all 17 seats in 2015 and again in 2019.

The group is hoping to continue this success and has officially started the process for prospective candidates to contact them and express their interest. The deadline for candidates to put themselves forward is 12th February.

They say, “IfF have been at the forefront of local democracy for over a decade now and in that time Frome has received national and international acclaim for its community-driven initiatives, many of which have been led by or been in conjunction with Frome Town Council. 

“But there are always things to be done and lessons to be learnt. 

“Frome is in a position to bring more services and assets under the control of our local council. We’re working hard with Mendip District Council and Somerset Council to identify things that Frome could take under our umbrella and we hope this work will continue into the Unitary Council and the next (hopefully) ifF Town Council.

“We’re looking for new ideas, new passions and new personalities to take ifF into the next ten years. And with several of our councillors standing down we’ll be looking for prospective candidates to be selected by an independent panel to stand in the May 2022 elections.” 

Current town councillor and member of IfF, Scott Ward, added, “Independents for Frome always benefits from having new voices in the room to helps us truly represent the views and will of the residents of Frome. We work together co-operatively with openness and respect for each other’s views. Westminster politics has no place in Frome and the past ten years have proven that as we have weathered many challenges, including the ongoing global pandemic and the challenges it has brought us all.

“There’s many things we have gotten right and some really notable achievements in the past three councils, but we’re not above criticism.

“The reason I joined ifF myself was because I felt that there were things that could have been done differently. I decided that if I was willing to share these feelings with anyone who’d listen then I should at least be willing to stand up and try and be a part of bring about positive change. And that’s the challenge I would lay out to anyone who loves Frome, has ideas to make it better, and is passionate about continuing to make Frome an inclusive and progressive community that many want to be a part.”

If you are interested in learning more about becoming an ifF candidate at the upcoming elections then please contact info@iffrome.org.uk