IF you've ever wearily shaken your head about 'that lot at the town hall' then read on.

If you don't like what councillors are doing in your name, then why not do something about it. It's simple. Stand for election as an independent councillor yourself in the local elections next May.

There have been Independent Councillors serving their communities for well over 100 years and at present there are some 2,000 in England and Wales, who carry on the tradition of open and accountable local government. In fact, this is the one think that united us.

We want to respond to the local community in a way that serves the community interest and not a party political interest.

Being an Independent candidate does not mean that one has not political views. Nor does it mean that one does not support a political party.

Almost everyone has some political views, and tends towards supporting a particular political party on national issues.

Independent councillors generally believe, thought, that national concerns very often do not translate well to the local scene.

What predominantly characterises independent politics is a belief that no party has a monopoly of good ideas and that local governance depends on people of goodwill, people who listen to advice, argue, and debate, are capable of arriving at sensible decisions on their merits, for the good of the community and nor driven by a higher party allegiance.

It is no coincidence that independent politics remains at its strongest in some of the more remote rural areas. It is in these areas that communities are often at their most fragile, yet where community spirit is also strong -- to have major party differences is a luxury that most rural communities have never felt able to afford.

The imperative has been to work together, collectively, irrespective of party beliefs and by building as broad a consensus as possible on how to advance the community interest.

The critics of independent politics have pointed to its weakness being a lack of an ideological coherence, with too great a focus on issues as they arise. Independents, however, without embarrassment or concern, make a virtue of their day-by-day decisions reflecting aspects of policies across the parties.

Many independents would further point to their style of politics allowing many independent councils still to form and make the key decisions in a public and open way, without closed group meetings in advance.

Our members have a wide range of views, and more and more we are seeing people who are members of all political parties becoming Independent, in order to throw off the shackles of the party whip, and escape from the secretive decision-making behind closed doors.

As an Independent councillor you can make a real difference to the way people live on a daily basis. What are you waiting for?

Cllr Milner Whiteman OBE, Arlescott Farm Broseley, Shropshire