Who are the Independent Future group.

Well, apparently they’re not a group and their candidates are all standing as independent. But as soon as they get their paperwork sorted with the electoral commission they will all join together in a happy band of independent councillors and presumably all vote according to their conscience, despite having a group leader and deputy leader. Of course this all remains to be seen should they get elected. If they do however have a common vision for the town and work together and vote together then how are they any different from any other political party? Otherwise if they really are such an independent group of people, how will they ever agree to get anything done if they all vote differently?

Who are they anyway?

They are mostly made up of a breakaway group of disillusioned Tory controlling group members. Who are now spending their time disparaging anything that group they were once part of did in 19 years of that group being in control of the council. Let’s face it, after a long while being part of a group, you are not suddenly going to shed all of your former thinking and actually believe decisions you were part of were utterly wrong, are you? Tories in disguise much?

Cllr Daniel Cook – Group Leader (was for a short time until Labour grew in numbers officially the leader of the opposition on Tamworth Borough Council and claiming the additional expense allowance to go with it, how this worked when you are not officially a group or party is anyone’s guess). He had an 11 year stint as the leader of Tamworth Borough Council and announced he was stepping down as leader, before eventually becoming deputy Mayor and then quitting in an apparent protest about a decision he did not like (no-one knows what that was to this day) by the controlling group. Despite having stood down, he was soon back banging the drum of independence and how awful his former group are and arose again as Leader, only this time of a group of independents.

Cllr Ben Price – Deputy Leader (was officially deputy leader of the opposition on Tamworth Borough Council and received the additional special responsibility allowance that went with it until Labour grew their numbers). Former friend and confidante of the current leader Jeremy Oates (we can only imagine how that conversation went), and former chairman of the Licensing committee until he was ousted from his position by the Tories (then re-instated when the Tories needed their votes).

Michelle Cook – Wife of Cllr Daniel Cook and former long serving member of the Conservative group and cabinet member. Can only imagine she would be deputy leader of the opposition if only for the cries of nepotism that would cause. Represented Amington until May 2023, publically stated she would remain in Amington until then announcing on her Amington Facebook page that she was in fact going to leave them to stand in Glascote at the next election because she ‘saw the challenges that were there’. Of course, it has absolutely nothing to do with Independents tending to do a lot better in elections in Glascote, and the fact that those Conservatives who voted her in as a Conservative probably wouldn’t be too pleased about the about face. She then decided to stand for election again in Amington in October 2023’s by-election, having handily not changed the name of her Facebook group.

Cllr Rosemary Claymore – Currently representing Amington but given her colleague’s abrupt parachuting out of electoral danger may well decide to do the same when she is next up for election. Best friends with the Cooks, former chair of the Health and Wellbeing scrutiny committee until she was ousted from her position by the Tories.

Cllr Peter Thurgood – Father of Cllr Michelle Cook and Father in law to Cllr Daniel Cook. Former chairman of planning until ousted by the Tories from that position.

Charlie Rose Taylor – Daughter of Cllr Daniel Cook. Stood as a candidate in the by election in 2023. Used an opportunity in full council as a member of the public to ask questions regarding women’s rights only to complain in her supplementary question that her stepmother was apparently not selected as a candidate again by the Tories because she had been pregnant. So your important burning questions were really put to the controlling group on behalf of where she stood in Belgrave!

Dennis Box – Was the last remaining member of UKIP on the Council. Probably joined independent future because he wanted to feel part of something again. No longer a Councillor and we are not sure if he will stand for them again.

Jason Aston – Updated information after opening our tip line and the things we are hearing about this man are doozies all of this we are told is public knowledge, if you have proof this isn’t true, contact us:

Runs his own company,J P Aston Services Ltd. Check the financial statements at companies house, and decide for yourself whether he’s actually unemployed as he claimed in elections. Held a position for a short while with an actual water treatment company until recently.

We are told his neighbours live in fear of him, we were told he has a community protection warning notice served against him for allegedly harassing his neighbours over their bins. There are worse allegations apparently that we’ve not been enlightened on. He has also allegedly been sectioned twice.

Says there aren’t enough buses on his election leaflets. Purposely parked his van on his road which caused an obstruction to said buses and had to be warned by the police to move it.

Parades around telling his neighbours how close he is to his new leader Danny Cook and proclaiming how untouchable he is.

Appears to spend most of his days all over various Facebook groups making comments on things he has no knowledge or understanding of, believes he is immensely important due to his apparently massive ego.

Do you want this man representing you?

Nicola Claymore – Daughter of Rosemary Claymore just to top off this very family affair. Stood for election in Castle Ward trading on the name of her late father former Cllr Steve Claymore who was a member of the Conservative group. According to the leaflets bearing her name, everything the Conservatives are doing now in the town centre is down to him but stood against the party her father was part of and whose work was done in the name of that party.