# Basingstoke & Deane Independents

Basingstoke & Deane Independents are a localist political party in the district of Basingstoke and Deane in Hampshire. They are part of the Basingstoke & Deane Independent Forum, which also comprises independent, Green, and Women's Equality Party councillors, and which currently runs the district council alongside the Liberal Democrats, with Independent Forum group leader Paul Harvey serving as leader of the council.

## History

The party was launched in December 2019 by two existing independent councillors and nine sitting Labour councillors. It was set up as a localist group, with a focus on supporting vulnerable groups, tackling the climate emergency, and social equality. Six Basingstoke & Deane Independent candidates stood in the delayed 2021 local election, with all but one holding their seats, with incumbent Popley councillor David Potter losing his seat, leaving them with five overall. They did not contest the 2021 Hampshire County Council election. The party stood six candidates in 2022, winning four of which three were gains, bringing their total seats to eight. This included two out of three seats in Bramley ward, with winning candidate Anthony Durrant having previously stood as an independent in North East Hampshire in 2019. In December 2022 Councillor Michael Howard-Sorrell left the Labour Party to sit as an independent, but did not join the Basingstoke and Deane Independents, instead later joining the Green Party which sits as part of The Independent Forum. Prior to the 2023 elections, former mayor Cllr Onnalee Cubitt was expelled from the Conservative Party after criticising local projects, and joined the Independent Forum Group whilst remaining as an independent.
In the 2023 local elections the party stood four candidates, winning three and remaining with eight councillors. The council changed to no overall control, with the Conservatives remaining the largest party but without a majority. Basingstoke and Deane Independents Cllr Paul Harvey was elected as leader of the council and of the Independent Forum group, a position he had previously held in 2005/2006 as a Labour councillor. The new administration was made up of the Independent Forum and the Liberal Democrats, with Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Gavin James announced as the Deputy Leader, referred to as Co-Leader, and with both Independent Forum and Liberal Democrats sitting on cabinet.
The Basingstoke and Deane Independents stood four candidates in 2024, holding two and gaining two. At the same time a further Green won a seat and the Women's Equality Party won their first district-level seat in Hatch Warren & Beggarwood, and joined the Independent Forum after the election. Subsequent to the election, Cllr Samir Kotecha, who was elected for as a Conservative in 2022 in Hatch Warren and Beggarwood Ward, joined the party. Combined with the gains this brought the Basingstoke and Deane Independents to eleven seats in total, and the Independent Forum to seventeen. The group remained in administration with the Liberal Democrats who themselves gained two seats, with the cabinet remaining the same.

## Electoral results

The following are electoral results for the Basingstoke & Deane Independents only, not including other Independent Forum members
| Year | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | Council Control |
| 2021 | 7,800 | 6.1% | | 5 / 54 | Conservative |
| 2022 | 7,046 | 14.6% | 8.5 | 8 / 54 | Conservative |
| 2023 | 4,818 | 11.0% | 1.9 | 8 / 54 | No overall control |
| 2024 | 5,442 | 12.3% | 1.3 | 10 / 54 | No overall control |