The candidates for the upcoming elections for East Devon District Council have been published:
Futures Forum: The final list of candidates for East Devon District Council election announced
East Devon District Council election candidates list published - Election - Sidmouth Herald
District council election candidates announced - Election - Sidmouth Herald
This Wednesday there will be a 'meet the candidate' session, organised by the Vision Group:
Futures Forum: Hustings in Sidmouth: District Council Election ........ Wednesday 15th April
The Express & Echo has given an overview of the candidates:
Meanwhile, there will elections for 29 out of East Devon District Council's 32 seats with more Independent candidates than ever before standing, poised to shake-up the Tory stronghold – 37 Independent candidates are standing across 24 wards.
The surge in Independents going for the seats can be attributed to the East Devon Alliance campaign group, which has transparency and openness at its heart, re-launching itself in February as an umbrella organisation for prospective independent councillors. The aim was to give independents who share the objectives of the alliance, the opportunity to explain to voters who they are and what they stand for, ensuring they have equal opportunity of notoriety as their party specific counterparts. In order to comply with electoral law the group had to register as a party with the Electoral Commission.
ELECTIONS: More East Devon seats uncontested than not due to too few candidates | Exeter Express and Echo
Three wards have been uncontested, including that of Cabinet member Ian Thomas:
Trinity Member among first Councillors re-elected to East Devon District Council...
Thursday, 09 April 2015 18:07 Written by Ian Thomas
I am honoured to be able to confirm that, when nominations closed late this afternoon, my nomination for re-election to East Devon District Council was uncontested.
This means that I am one of just three Members elected and will be able to continue to represent Uplyme, Combpyne-Rousdon and Axmouth as Trinity Ward Member on East Devon District Council for the next four years.
I will add the details of what would have been in my election address soon, but I undertake to continue to represent all in Trinity in a fair, open and level handed manner, and do all I can to ensure that we are the best informed in East Devon..
I would like to particularly thank the residents who proposed and supported my nomination, and the large number of supporters from wide personal political backgrounds who have so generously offered to give their time in my support.
Click here for full nomination details for all East Devon District Council Wards...
Thank you again for your confidence.
Ian
There will be quite a lot of independent's contesting the other seats, according to the latest from the Express & Echo:
Independent contingent hopes to unsettle East Devon District Council's Tory majority at May elections
By Exeter Express and Echo | Posted: April 11, 2015
Independent contingent hopes to unsettle East Devon District Council's Tory majority at May elections
AN unprecedented number of Independent candidates have risen up to loosen the Conservative’s grip on East Devon District Council which has been run by Tory majority for many years.
And in an historical first, the number of Conservative candidates, 57, is overshadowed by the number of non-Conservatives, 76.
Nominations for the local elections on May 7, closed on April 9, and in East Devon there will elections for 29 out of the district council’s 32 seats with more Independent candidates than ever before standing – 37 Independent candidates are standing across 24 wards, 22 under the East Devon Alliance banner.
The surge in Independents going for the seats can be attributed to the East Devon Alliance campaign group, which has transparency and openness at its heart, re-launching itself in February as an umbrella organisation for prospective independent councillors.
The aim was to give independents who share the objectives of the alliance, the opportunity to explain to voters who they are and what they stand for, ensuring they have equal opportunity of notoriety as their party specific counterparts.
In order to comply with electoral law the group had to register as a party with the Electoral Commission. In total, 57 Conservatives will be standing, 19 Liberal Democrats, six Labour, five Greens and 9 UKIP candidates.
East Devon Alliance chairman, Paul Arnott, said: “Taken together with the unstoppable rise of Independent parliamentary candidate for East Devon, Claire Wright, this phenomenal offer by 37 Independents to the people of the district proves that East Devon better represents the desire for change in democracy than anywhere else in the UK.”
A month ago, the main challenging group, the newly-set-up East Devon Alliance, challenged the East Devon Conservatives to a public debate:
This didn't happen:
The East Devon Alliance seems very confident:
Press release: 10 April 2015
Just two months ago the East Devon Alliance announced that it would form an umbrella group to support candidates wishing to stand at the District Council election on May 7th 2015. Yesterday, nominations closed.
Of the 29 wards to be contested, 24 will be fought by Independent candidates. A total of 37 Independent candidates have come forward to stand across the district, of whom 22 will be “Independent East Devon Alliance” on the ballot papers, and 15 will be Independent.
57 Conservatives will be standing, 19 Liberal Democrats, 6 Labour and 5 Greens. Despite free national news coverage every day for the last year, UkIP can only raise 9 candidates. For the first time ever the number of Conservative candidates – 57 – is overshadowed by the number of non-Conservatives – 76. In an historic first, the people of East Devon now have a genuine free choice at the election to entirely change the guard at their district council.
In the lead up to nominations a Conservative councillor, Phil Twiss repeatedly scaremongered the local electorate by absurdly suggesting the Independent movement was an alliance of left of centre groups. Yesterday this was shown for the false assertion it always was. Between them, the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens are fielding no fewer than 30 candidates of their own, who will rightly feel insulted by him.
Of more significance to him and his party comrades is that two of the most outstanding Independent candidates are well-respected members of the EDDC Audit and Governance Committee, who have honourably resigned from the Conservative party in order to stand as Independents in their areas, with the real expectation that they will be re-elected on May 7th.
East Devon Alliance Chairman Paul Arnott said, “Taken together with the unstoppable rise of Independent Parliamentary Candidate for East Devon, Claire Wright, this phenomenal offer by 37 Independents to the people of the district proves that East Devon better represents the desire for change in democracy than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.”
Press release: 10 April 2015 | East Devon Alliance
First Round to Independents Making History | East Devon Alliance
East Devon Alliance Press Release | East Devon Watch
East Devon Alliance: candidates on You Tube | East Devon Watch
The question is very open as to what the final balance of power is likely to be after 7th May:
Futures Forum: Coalition government - at District Council level
See also:
Futures Forum: "I can’t remember a time when there was so much dissatisfaction with local government."
Futures Forum: East Devon councils "should be held to account"
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