Independent Politics: Why Seek to Serve and Survive as an Independent Councillor?

While Labour, Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats continue to dominate local and national politics, recent decades have also seen non-mainstream politics make inroads into votes and seats in English local government. The paper explores Independent politics and politicians and examines the motivations that encourage those that are not members of the three main national political parties to stand for local elected office. Findings suggest that while this group shows a distinct local and representative ethos that is — one might argue — weaker in their party-affiliated counterparts, the world of Independent politics is diverse and situation-specific.