FOREST Blue, the heralded but not so far formally announced group of council Independents, has launched with a pledge to honour 'forgotten promises'.
In a statement they say: "We have been obliged to leave the Conservative group in the District Council because of the actions of Councillor Winship, Leader of the Council.
"However, we still retain our Conservative values and our loyalty to our MP Mark Harper, and the Conservative Association.
"As new Independent councillors, we now have the opportunity to follow promises made at our election which seem to have been forgotten by the cabinet. These include council tax reductions for Senior Citizens, avoiding stealth taxes like car-parking charges and rodent control, and general economy in the running of the council.
"We feel strongly that the cabinet, costing nearly £80,000 a year, is too expensive in these economic times. The cabinet is also making decisions without the involvement of the full council. Sometimes, local councillors are not involved in, or informed of, matters which affect their voters. This means that voters' views are not represented.
"We would like to see a return to an executive which would include members of all parties. In this way local decisions could be made for local people by the councillors they can influence.
"So Forest Blue is an electoral organisation, aimed at getting more independents of similar views. Therefore, the Forest can have its say in decisions which directly affect their lives."
Member of the group Alastair Fraser said he intended to raise a question at the council's annual meeting on May 21 asking if the cabinet had the legal authority to overrule full council decisions.
"I am referring particularly to the planned property spend of £400,000 rejected by full council but approved by the cabinet," he said.
"There is also the issue of car parking charges, which nobody wants."
Mr Fraser named present members of Forest Blue as himself and Grace Benstead, Maria Edey, Jon Kay and Nikki Goodlad. Alan Preest said he was 'seriously considering' the option. The Review has not been able to contact all the people named to confirm their support.