As voting for the General Election takes place we meet the Independent candidate for the North Wiltshire constituency.

IF mechanical design engineer Simon Killane is elected as the next MP for North Wiltshire there is one thing he won’t be doing when he takes his seat in the House of Commons – toeing a party line.

Party politics, he believes, gets in the way of the real business of being an MP – representing the interests of the people who put you there in the first place.

“When you are a member of a party you are under the cosh of the whip – you do what the party wants,” he said.

As an independent MP he would do whatever he felt was right for the people of North Wiltshire and the nation as a whole regardless of party interests.

He continued: “The party system is dysfunctional... some MPs don’t even talk to each other – and they’re in the same county."

If elected, he said: “I want to work with MPs in Wiltshire and do what’s best for this county.”

This would involve collaborating with members of all allegiances to get the business of “what can we do to make things better in our community” done.

Untethered by party politics, the father-of-three who aspires to become “The People’s MP” added: “Why do I need to be in a party – I am free to speak and act as I please.”

Dublin-born Simon came to the UK when he was 19, and has been living in Wiltshire – mostly Malmesbury – for 20 years.

He had “no interest in politics whatsoever” before, about a decade ago, he joined fellow Malmesbury residents who wanted to improve the appalling state of White Lion Park.

After winning £50,000 Lottery cash for a much needed makeover he quite liked the idea of ‘people power’, and he became a town and then a Wiltshire councillor.

He served as a Liberal but quit a couple of years ago as he felt party politics got in the way of getting things done.

Currently Head of Scrutiny at Wiltshire Council, one of Simon’s key topics in fighting for Parliament are health and the NHS.

“We are living longer which brings a lot of issues,” he said, “ranging from caring for people with dementia to the increasing pressures on the carers themselves.”

He wants house building tailored to meet the needs of local communities rather than developers lumping them with inappropriate housing.

He also feels it is imperative to look after the interests of the “thousands and thousands” of Wiltshire-based military families when they leave the services.

“They need to be integrated into society while the skills they have acquired in the military are fully utilised for the benefit of Wiltshire – which could range from working as a paramedic or a police officer,” he added.

Also standing in the seat are: Labour: Peter Baldrey, UKIP: Pat Bryant, Green: Phil Chamberlain, Conservative: James Gray, Lib Dem: Brian Mathew and Independent: Giles Wareham.