Our Co-Founders

Denise Wyatt and Andrew Pope co-founded Somerset Independents during the Covid-19 National Emergency in 2020, due to the appalling behaviour and failures of local councils and the Government.

Denise Wyatt

 

Denise Wyatt

 

Denise Wyatt worked for over twenty years in several councils across the South of England, specialising in governance.

Denise strongly believes that councils are there to serve local residents and to involve local residents.

She was Andrew's Election Agent when he stood for Labour in New Forest East at the 2015 General Election, and when Andrew stood for Southampton Independents in Southampton Test at the 2017 General Election.

Denise also stood as an Independent candidate for Southampton City Council in 2016 and 2018. Andrew was her Election Agent on both occasions.

Because of her experience, Denise has seen over the years that the Westminster parties let people down, and that all councils should consist of only Independent councillors.

 

Andrew Pope

Andrew Pope

Andrew Pope (B.Sc (Hons) Computer Science Leeds, M.Sc Global Politics and International Relations Southampton) worked in the IT industry for over twenty years as a contractor and employee for the Australian Department of Defence, South Australian State Housing Department, Honeywell, Mitsubishi Motors, AXA and B & Q. His first paid job was as a paperboy in North London.

Andrew became a union representative and then negotiator with the UNIFI (later AMICUS) financial services union and joined The RSPB, campaigning to protect wildlife and the countryside.

He interned at the pressure group Compass in London and was also Chair of the Hampshire Co-operative Party and Secretary of Southampton Fabian Society. He co-founded Labour Friends of Football, successfully campaigning  for the Living Wage to be paid to all staff at professional football clubs.

As a mature student, Andrew completed a Masters degree in Global Politics at Southampton University in 2010, 18 years after his Bachelors degree in Computer Science at Leeds University in 1992.

Andrew was a Southampton City Councillor between 2011 and 2019 - first for Labour - having previously stood as Labour Candidate and working for Southampton Labour Party and Alan Whitehead MP in 2010, meeting his Star Trek hero Patrick Stewart when out campaigning with students.

After giving it great thought, and consulting with those he trusted most, Andrew made the very difficult decision to resign from Labour in disgust at Ed Miliband's Labour Leadership and the failing Labour Administration of Southampton City Council one week after the 2015 General Election and local elections, despite trying to ensure the Labour Council's manifesto pledges that he had co-ordinated were met, and despite being offered a position in the Council Cabinet.

He was therefore, with great regret, forced to resign from all of the above Labour-related positions.

Andrew chose to become an Independent councillor and to continue to stand up for his local residents against the appalling ideas of the Labour-run Council's Leader and Cabinet and instead, to provide loud opposition in spite of the weak Conservative Opposition.

Like Denise, Andrew strongly believes that councils and governments are there to serve local residents, to listen to and to involve local residents. They formed Southampton Independents with other local residents.

Andrew stood for Parliament for Southampton Independents in the Southampton Test Constituency at the 2017 General Election. Two years before, he was the Labour Candidate in the New Forest East Constituency at the 2015 General Election.

Andrew was the Election Agent for Denise when she stood as an Independent candidate for Southampton City Council in 2016 and for Southampton Independents in 2018.

From his experience and beliefs, Andrew coined the phrase "Labour, Lib Dem, Green or Tory, it's the same old story". He knows that that Westminster parties let people down too much, and that all councils should consist of only Independent councillors that serve their local residents, not their political masters in London.

Andrew also believes that councillors should, like MPs, be subject to "recall" by their constituents, if sufficient people sign a petition that they should face an election. He is working on this campaign in the light of fake "independent" councillors in Somerset and across England. Andrew is also continuing to campaign for Safe Standing at football grounds in England.

Andrew runs a small e-commerce business and is a technical consultant and political consultant.