Swale Independents
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Swale Independents | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Mike Baldock |
| Founded | 21 May 2018 |
| Headquarters | 24 Station Road, Newington, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7JS |
| Ideology | Localism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| Colours | Orange Green |
| Slogan | "Putting Local People First" |
| Kent County Council | 0 / 81 |
| Swale Borough Council | 8 / 47 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Swale Independents are a local political party based in the borough of Swale. It was founded in 2018 by the former leader of UKIP on Swale Borough Council, Mike Baldock.[1][2][3]
They sit together with one independent on Swale Borough Council as "The Swale Independents Alliance".[4]
At the 2019 Swale Borough Council election, the party elected 10 councillors. After the election, a "rainbow coalition" of the Swale Independents, Labour, Liberal Democrats, independents, and the Greens, was formed. This ended 17 years of Conservative control of the council.[5][6][7]
In 2020, the party's leader, Mike Baldock, faced criticism for opposing new houses being built, despite being a landlord who owns three houses, and an acre of land, worth £1 million in total.[8]
At the 2021 Kent County Council election, Baldock won a seat, becoming the party's sole representative on the council.[9][10]
From April 2022 to May 2023, Baldock served as Swale Borough Council's leader.[11][12]
At the 2023 Swale Borough Council election, the party won 11 council seats.[13] Afterwards, they formed another coalition with Labour and the Greens.[14]
In December 2023, Baldock resigned as deputy leader of Swale Borough Council, after a disagreement with the Labour group. He returned to the role just two weeks later.[15][16]
In March 2024, Baldock was selected as the party's candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey in the 2024 general election.[17] He came fourth with 7.9% of the vote.[18]
In February 2025, four borough councillors left the party to join Reform UK, citing their fear that the UK is "heading for a Labour-run dictatorship". Mike Baldock called the move "a huge betrayal of the people who voted for them" and suggested that the defectors should resign and contest by-elections as Reform candidates.[19][20]
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