The full list of candidates for the election in the Frampton and Holme ward – caused by the resignation of Independent Councillor Brian Rush at the end of last month – has been published, and the poll will take place on Thursday, 18^th October.

In the space of little more than a year, the ward has gone from being a place that few were interested in to a battle ground between five candidates – including a couple from the main political parties.
At last year’s elections, apart from Brian Rush, the seat was contested by candidates from the Boston Bypass Independents and UKIP – the United Kingdom Independence Party.
Now the big guns are out as well, with Labour and Conservative candidates joining two independents and a UKIP candidate.
The BBI – now the BDI … the Boston District Independents … have not put up a candidate.
There should just about be enough votes to go round, as Frampton and Holme is not the biggest of places – with 684 dwellings, and a population of 1,584 with an average age of 44.9 years.
The candidates are – in alphabetical order - for fairness:
Stuart Ashton,  of Willoughby Farm, Frampton Fen, standing as an Independent.  He runs a 1,000-acre farm and the company Willoughby Foods -  which provides meals to local schools and general catering.
Mr Ashton is hoping to continue an Independent dynasty begun by his mother Joan, in the same ward – she was a former deputy leader, and mayor of Boston Borough Council – and received an MBE in 2008 for services to Local Government and to the community in the East Midlands.
Maggie Peberdy, of Grosvenor Road, Frampton, is the second Independent seeking election, and is well known as the manager of Boston’s Citizens’ Advice Bureau.
Next comes UKIP veteran Sue Ransome, of Clarke Court, Wyberton.
Mrs Ransome, who is a Kirton parish councillor and listed as UKIP’s East Midlands Regional Office treasurer, once contested a  parliamentary seat – standing for Amber Valley in 2010.  She also stood in the Old Leake and Wrangle by-election, whilst her husband, Don, is UKIP East Midlands Regional Organiser and a Wyberton parish councillor.
Claire Rylott , of the idyllically named Sunnyside Farm, Kirton Holme, is the Conservative candidate, and another member of Kirton Parish Council.
Last of the five candidates is Mike Sheridan-Shinn, of Pen Street, in Boston, who is standing for Labour.
Last year, he contested Boston’s Pilgrim Ward for Labour, but is something of a political chameleon.  In a by-election for the same ward in 2009 he stood as a Liberal Democrat, and also that year stood for the Lib Dems in the Lincolnshire County Council elections for Boston North West.
So, electors in the ward are not spoilt for choice.
Traditionally, Frampton and Holme has returned Independents – but with two candidates flying that flag this time round, could a split in the vote open a door for one of the party candidates?
If so who can guess what might happen?
Nationally, the Conservatives are trailing Labour by 10% in the table of voting intentions. They are on 31% compared with Labour’s 41%.
The Lib Dems are on 14% - exactly the same as the “other parties” ” – which include UKIP.

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