A by-election has been called for the Mendip ward in the upcoming Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council by-election on Thursday, July 3 — with local Independents seeking a candidate.

The seat became available after the resignation of Liberal Democrat David Wood, and it is expected to be hotly contested.

New political movement, ‘Independents for B&NES’, which wants to see more Independent councillors on the Local Authority, says it is on the lookout for a ‘community-spirited individual’ living in and around the village of Temple Cloud, near Chew Valley, to stand under a non-party political banner.

Cllr Karen Walker, group leader of the Independents for B&NES, said: “Independent councillors have a track record and long history of getting things done on B&NES Council. For the last 25 years there has been a strong group of Independents in the council chamber, often providing a voice for common sense – free from party politics.”

The Mendip ward covers several villages to the southwest of the district, including Temple Cloud, West Harptree, East Harptree, Cameley, Hinton Blewitt, North Widcombe and South Widcombe.

The area has been represented by a Liberal Democrat since 2019, though the party recently lost a seat in January’s Saltford by-election to Independent candidate Chris Warren — the first time a Liberal Democrat seat had been lost in a B&NES by-election.

Cllr Gavin Heathcote (Independent, Peasedown) said: “Our Independent movement in B&NES is growing, more and more people are telling us that they like our common-sense approach to getting things done. There is a real chance that the villages of Temple Cloud and East Harptree, and the small rural communities around them, could be represented by an Independent after July 3.”

For more information, visit the Independents for B&NES Facebook page or email Nathan Hartley at [email protected]