This by-election was called by the resignation of Simon Marcus who was one of your Tory councillors in Hampstead Town ward who is now standing for parliament elections.
I believe firmly that should I successfully get elected as your councillor, I pledge to commit to that obligation and not resign mid term to further a political career. I am NOT a professional politician. But I am a committed camapigner living and working in the Hampstead area most of my life.
I have already been working on your behalf since 2007, where I was and STILL am an active member of a local SNT Police panel that used to be based in the Hampstead Police station until the closure caused by ill founded Tory reforms diminishing and decimating our local police numbers in our local areas.
I have been a member of the Hampstead Royal Free Trust since 2011and take a very active interest in matters of the Health reform and how it is working in practice.
Having a young Daughter still at Primary school age. I take a very active role in local school places and was an active member of the NW3 School places group back in 2009/10 to try and get a new local school in Belsize Park to take pressure of Hampstead and other surrounding areas. Yes Belsize back then DID NOT have a local primary state school. It now boasts Abacus School that is expected to move into the old Hampstead Police Station.
This could not have happened if "our" group of 15 or so volunteers back in 2009/10 had not pushed with such a strong campaign. I was honoured to have helped in a small way back then.
This demonstrates the power of "community" coming together for them selves to make change happen. So called politicians think it is them but in reality it is you the local community.
As your prospective councillor I see my role as a representative of our community and I soak in your needs, wants and community ideas to try and facilitate change. As your councillor that would enable me (your elected representative) to voice for the needed change in Camden council. Thats what I believe a local councillor should do! But it appears that for most "professional politicians" who are part of the traditional political parties that is not always the case.
Did you know that even in grass roots local politics that councillors have a local party whip to make sure that ALL councillors toe the local and national party line!
I am sure most of you already knew that, but it brings me to a vital point about my manifesto.
I stand as an Independent prospective candidate. What does "Independent" actually mean you may well ask?
Well for me it means "Independent" of outside political pressures allowing me to simply take the view of the local community and question and fight for what I (driven by a consensus of the local community view) believe to be right. That does not mean that I will not engage with the "political process", naturally I must in order to bring about needed change.
Therefore, my view is just as any other professional embarking on a venture. Research, THINK, LISTEN, THIINK and keep on listening to the local community. Distill all the research and opinions down into a plan of action. So yes it is a job, it is a BIG commitment, I profoundly believe that no one should put themselves up for being a councillor unless they have the full commitment to serve a full term. But thats just my personal view.
I hope to being calling upon many of you (over 8,500 of you!) as best as humanly possible with the limited resources of myself my agent and my growing number of supporters!
Yes that is a downside in not being part of that political machine, no network of paid up members!
No matter, I hope that I may get more volunteers who believe in what I am trying to achieve here in this "new" social experiment to bring Independence into local politics.
All of you wishing to engage this task or just bring suggestions and ideas can do so here through my published email address nigel4hampsteadtown@gmail.com I am also on Twitter as @nigelrumble
(c) Nigel Rumble 2015
