Mansfield Independents, previously known as Mansfield Independent Forum,[2] is a local political party in the local government district of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England. It was officially registered in 2005, having already successfully campaigned for the election of Tony Egginton as Mayor of Mansfield two years earlier.[3] Egginton had stood for election after being convinced to do so by the leader of the pro-Mayoralty campaign, Stewart Rickersey.
At the May 2023 Mansfield local elections, four MI members were successful. On 25 October 2024, three long standing members defected to Reform UK, marking a new political group on the council.[4]
History
The directly elected Mayor of Mansfield was created following moves made by Mansfield-based businessman Stuart Rickersey to change the governance of Mansfield through a public referendum.[5] Local newsagent Tony Egginton was encouraged to stand as an independent candidate in the ensuing election, and was elected to the position on 17 October 2002.[6]
Following Egginton's successful election as Mayor, Rickersey then recruited many ward councillor-candidates to challenge Labour's traditional domination at the May 2003 local elections, winning control of the council with 25 seats.[7] Most of the newly elected councillors were new and inexperienced.[8] Egginton formed his Cabinet mostly of MIF members including Rickersey as Portfolio Holder for Corporate Issues.[9] The party was officially registered with the electoral commission on 14 July 2005, formalising the existence of a party that had unofficially existed since Egginton's election. Fellow Mansfield Independent Kate Allsop was elected as Executive Mayor to succeed Egginton following his retirement in 2015.
In 2015 Councillor Sid Walker of the Mansfield Independents, then sitting as a UKIP councillor, was investigated by Mansfield District Council for posting racist material on Facebook and calling a constituent a "left wing bitch".[10]
In September 2019 the party was renamed to the Mansfield Independents.[2]
Election results
The Mansfield Independent Forum has contested elections since Tony Egginton's election in 2002, first informally as an alliance of independent councillors in 2003 and then formally as a registered UK political party from 2005 onwards.
Mayoral elections
Tony Egginton served as Mayor of Mansfield from 2002 until his retirement in 2015. He was succeeded by Kate Allsop, also of the Mansfield Independents.
Mansfield Independent Forum councillors held a majority on Mansfield District Council from 2003–2011. The party lost control of the council to the Labour Party in 2011 before regaining control in 2015.[11] In the 2023 local elections, the Mansfield Independents suffered an almost total wipe-out, losing all but four of their seats on Mansfield District Council, and finishing in third place in the Mayoral Election.[12]
