‘Independents’ election confusion explained

A senior Herefordshire political figure has explained why so many candidates at local elections in the county in less than three weeks’ time will be labelled simply as “Independents”.

“Anyone not standing for a registered political party is only allowed to be described as ‘Independent’ on the ballot paper,” Coun Liz Harvey, deputy leader of Herefordshire Council and cabinet member for finance, said on the Herefordshire Politics Facebook group.

The situation has arisen from the complex history of independent parties and groupings in the county.

Coun Harvey was one of five councillors who broke away from the then Herefordshire Independents party, led by Coun Bob Matthews, to form It’s Our County (IOC; previously styled ‘It’s OUR County!’).

The new party was registered with the Electoral Commission in 2010 –  “so it’s candidates were able to be differentiated from any random candidates badged as ‘Independent’ by showing the IOC emblem on ballot papers”, Coun Harvey explained. “That remains the case today.”

On the eve of the last council election in 2019, Herefordshire Independents (which apparently did not register as such with the Electoral Commission) and IOC had nine councillors apiece.

That election resulted in 18 seats for “Independents”, of whom 16 were affiliated to the Herefordshire Independents, and a further eight to the IOC.

Some Herefordshire Independents and the IOC then formed a new grouping, Independents for Herefordshire (i4H), which took control of the council in coalition with the seven-strong Greens.

However following divisions over policy, five Independents broke off to form the True Independents grouping under Bob Matthews. Both i4H and the True Independents remain “groupings” in the council rather than formal parties.

This time round, only three candidates appear to be standing under the IOC banner: Coun Harvey in Ledbury North, Coun David Summers in Dinedor Hill and Coun Dave Boulter in Whitecross.

But both IOC and i4H candidates are using the same purple-and-green branding on their election literature, Coun Harvey added.

Adding to the possible confusion, six wards – College, Hagley, Holmer, Kings Acre, Queenswood and Tupsley – have two self-described Independents standing, while a further nine candidates, including Bromyard West’s True Independents councillor Clare Davies, are standing with no listed affiliation.

Coun Jim Kenyon, standing again in Tupsley ward, is meanwhile described as an Independent though he belongs to no political grouping.