Election alert!

Next Thursday June 20th voters in the Totnes Town ward will have a chance to choose a new councillor. In the Town Council Election, the two candidates are Adrian Oliver and Matt Trant.
The Pulse went along to meet them both.

Matt is a 33 year old whose born and bred in Totnes. His dad Phil was a firefighter and Matt wanted to join him. “But there was a recruitment freeze,” he said. By the time that was over Matt had moved on to another job. He now owns his own business in town, Totnes Vape. Matt doesn’t belong to any political party and as an independent he wants to see stronger links between businesses and the community. He supports the Skatepark plans and would like to see a dedicated graffiti wall there.

Adrian Oliver has lived in Totnes for just over a year. He’s a healer and believes that politics needs spirituality. He was in the Green Party for nearly 20 years, helping to get Green councillors elected and became a councillor himself in London.

But he left the party and joined the Freedom Alliance, even standing as a Parliamentary candidate in a by election in 2021 in Buckinghamshire, where he is from. Now, however, Adrian is standing as an independent. He says he left the Green Party when – the last straw as he puts it – it supported the Covid policies brought in by the Government. “So when we needed opposition to the tyranny, the Green Party in my view failed us as the other parties did.” He left the Freedom Alliance Party when “internal challenges” arose, and some of the founders resigned en masse.
“I think there is space for something else in politics, a desire for some independence.” He admits that his views – that “decision makers and regulators have been captured and controlled,
often serving corporate interests rather than the people” – as his campaign leaflet states – chime with the Freedon Alliance Party views.

Matt says he wants to see more facilities and opportunities for young people in Totnes and also would like to see the return of Totnes Pride. He feels party politics shouldn’t really come into the town council. This will be his first foray into local government and admits it will be a learning curve. “But I’m keen to learn,” he said.

Adrian is experienced in local government and recently helped campaign against the plan for a 5G tower on Totnes industrial estate. The plan was opposed by the town council too and the
application was refused by South Hams– but he says there is going to be an appeal.

Matt says that being a business owner has increased his passion to keep “our proud and unique community prosperous.”

There are around 3,500 electors able to tick the box for either candidate – so next Thursday go along to either the Civic Hall or Follaton House and cast your vote.