THE founder of community group Open Winsford has spoken out after plans were revealed of the group’s intention to put forward candidates for next year’s local election.

Last week the Guardian reported that the group had created a document which laid out plans to put forward representatives for the town’s wards in Cheshire West and Chester Council’s 2019 election.

Founder Damon Horrill said the document was drafted in May 2016 but only shared with a six-member committee and had not been widely distributed.

Damon says the plan is still the same, but the leaked document was merely a seed of the idea.

He said: “The note was written on and not touched since May 5, 2016 and was purely an idea for discussion.

“We have been discussing how we could help residents to stand together under an independent banner pledging to follow ways of working determined by the wider community.

“In terms of Open Winsford establishing a minor political party to provide a platform for residents to stand to represent their wards in 2019, independent of party political associations - that would be for the community to decide. It can be done.

“We believe social media offers new opportunities, perhaps the first for communities to get more involved with what happens in their towns.

“The RSA is supporting our efforts with regards the Open Winsford website that is under construction. The hope is that the web hub we are developing, featuring an online balloting platform, will become a template for other communities in the same situation and help improve local democracy for generations to come.”