Shopkeeper Phil Cowan, a familiar face in the campaign to protect Primrose Hill’s indie businesses, is one of three independent candidates bidding for a council seat later this month.
Mr Cowan, who is staunchly opposed to HS2, is standing in Camden Town and Primrose Hill and will campaign against new planning laws that allow shops and offices to be turned into residential homes with much greater ease, saying “trade is the heart of a small community”.
Former Conservative by-election candidate Nigel Rumble has abandoned party allegiances to stand in Belsize ward. On his split from the Tories he said: “It was to do with the increasing number of cuts and in my opinion two cuts too many – the police station closing in Hampstead and fire station cuts. Closing Belsize fire station really was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. I was very disappointed in Boris Johnson.”
Robert Carlyle is the third independent and is standing in Holborn and Covent Garden.
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