232, Hesketh Lane
Tarleton

Why vote Independent? Why vote at all?
A modern day Party Political myth is one that says in order to be effective you have to be a member of a Political Party. ‘An Independent has no influence’ will be emblazoned across thousands of leaflets in the forthcoming weeks. But just how true is this? Most Councillors I have spoken with secretly express their wish to be independent; their main gripe being that having gone through the process of getting selected to stand and then actually getting elected they find that individual initiative is fettered. A common plea is ‘I wish I was independent-then I could actually get something done for my area!’ In reality the newly elected member finds him/her self marginalized within their party, which is ruled by the ascendant clique. They realise, too late, that they are in a queue to receive favours for their ward, competing against the demands of fellow members. Sometimes, if close to the centre of power, they can shortcut the process but at a price, with conditions attached that have far reaching consequences.

So why Independent?
Because, properly motivated and well informed, your Independent Councillor can act without having to seek permission or ‘keep on message’ and actually achieve something for the community they represent. They do not have to spend their time sitting in endless Political caucus meetings, toe-ing the Party Line. There actually is not much difference between the main political parties respective budgets as the amount of money available is restricted, so how can the individual make a difference within a party structure especially when Policy is very often dictated from national level?
The issues in Tarleton are clearly identified; the question is who is actually going to effectively address them? The Political Party currently in power at West Lancs has manifestly failed to tackle the problems in Tarleton as they are distracted on other issues. A vote for Independent is the sure option that will produce results!

John Hodson