Britain has a new political party. The Electoral Commission has conferred official status on Advance Together, the party seeking to change the political future in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.
Advance Together will field candidates across 18 wards of the borough in the local elections of May 2018. Advance Together will be the only independent party challenging the Conservative-dominated Council.
Advance Together will focus on three core borough-wide policy areas, and spend the coming weeks sharing ideas door-to-door and at community events:
- Reform housing and planning. To look after neighbours and neighbourhoods by creating new homes, reforming the process of planning and making homes safer.
- Provide opportunity and safety. With programmes and schemes to create more opportunity throughout the borough.
- Look after our environment. Using high impact, short-term solutions to deliver cleaner air and streets.
Annabel Mullin, leader of Advance Together, said: “The ‘advance’ movement we launched in November last year has generated a lot of interest and followers in the borough. We are thrilled that this grass-roots movement now has the status of a political party, and we can fight the local election on May 3 in an effort to bring long-awaited change to Kensington & Chelsea. It’s our belief that local politics is better served by people independent of the narrow interests of national political parties.”
Advance Together candidates are a true reflection of the diverse communities they hope to serve – teachers, local business owners, skilled professionals, community volunteers from here and around the world. All united by a committed passion to deliver on the promise – for people, not politicians.
“I was born in Kensington & Chelsea, and wouldn’t want to call anywhere else home,” comments Melvyn Akins, 35 years, father of two, IT professional and standing as a candidate for Advance Together. “But for too long now, there’s been many unheard voices in my community and that has to change. I’m not red or blue, I just care about where I live and the people who live here.”
“Like a great many in my neighbourhood, I moved here from abroad and now call Kensington & Chelsea home,” says Sonia Mihelic, 49 years, mother of three, community volunteer, and a candidate for Advance Together. “In Kensington & Chelsea, 24 per cent of people are EU citizens and yet I look at the Council and I don’t see anyone that looks or sounds like me or my European neighbours.”
“Bringing up my son in Kensington & Chelsea brought me close to my neighbours and community,” says Greg Prendergast, 38 years, single father, managing director and also a candidate for Advance Together. “Seeing how under-represented our diverse community is at the Council made me want to stand. And I don’t want to fight on behalf of a political party with its own agenda, I want to fight on behalf of the people in my street.”
For more information please visit www.advancetogether.uk
