Independent Jim humbled by result

THE NEWLY elected independent councillor for Shinfield South said that he is humbled by the scale of his victory.

Cllr Jim Frewin beat the incumbent Anthony Pollock by 432 votes, bringing to an end his 25 years’ reign on Wokingham Borough Council.

Last year, Cllr Frewin came second, and was standing as a protest over housing developments in the Shinfield parish – residents have been vocal over the number of homes that have been built and proposed for the region, including 15,000 homes

“The scale of my victory was a shock, most definitely,” said

Cllr Frewin. “We’ve had a lot of a support and this shows the strength of feeling as to how bad it is.

“I am going to be a true independent, I won’t be in thrall to anyone. I will work hard to put my view over. If the proposal is wrong, irrespective of party proposing it, I will be vocal. I’ll be constructive too.”

He is one of three independents on the council, and it is expected that they will form a group with Cllr Richard Dolinski acting as a leader. This will enable the independents to stand on the committees.

Cllr Frewin added: “Politics has to change locally. We all have the same goal – to do what’s best for our community.”

Wokingham’s first Women’s Equality Party candidate, Louise Timlin, said she is delighted to have gained 6% of the vote in Evendons.

She said: ““I would like to thank everyone who voted for me last week.

“The Party is new and stands for important issues like closing the gender pay gap, equal representation of women in politics and standing up to austerity cuts which often have an adverse impact on women. These concerns obviously resonated with voters.”