A NEW political group, formed to fight the forthcoming district council elections on May 2, has announced a series of principles it will stand for.

The group, named Ryedale First, is presently comprised of seven current councillors. Six of these - Linda Cowling, David Cussons, John Raper, Janet Frank, Eric Hope and John Windress - were the Conservative councillors who defected from the party in April 2017 and have since sat as independents.

The seventh member, Cllr Steve Arnold, is a Conservative councillor who was one of three Tories recently not re-approved to stand for the party in the upcoming elections by the local association.

The other two were his wife Cllr Val Arnold and Cllr Tharik Jainu-Deen.

In its first statements, the party has taken swipes at the “interference and influence” of party politics.

It said Ryedale First will not be affiliated to any national political party, but will work with other groups on the council to deliver its manifesto to “put common sense back into Ryedale politics and decision making”.

Cllr Linda Cowling said: “It is our belief that interference from political organisations has damaged the council and its processes in the past two years.

“Decisions should be made by elected members and should not be subject to undue influence from outside organisations.”

Ryedale First’s three promises are: “to make common sense decisions that are in the best interests of the Ryedale community; provide relevant, cost-effective services for the residents of Ryedale; and put job creation and business support to the top of the council agenda”.

The new party is also seeking members and candidates.

Cllr Eric Hope said: “The seven founder members of the group have over 100 years of experience in local government, but we recognise that we need some younger members and new ideas to help our group to grow.

“We are hoping that the attraction of a non-party political group acting purely for Ryedale will interest some candidates who might not otherwise have thought of becoming district councillors.”

The party added it has three further potential candidates ready to join, yet to be revealed.

Anyone interested in supporting or joining the group is urged to contact any member of the group or Linda Cowling on 07833595118.