Portsmouth Independents Party aims to stand a candidate in every city area at next election

Party leader George Madgwick, who a few months ago was its sole representative on Portsmouth City Council, said greater influence within the council had increased support and that they were now targeting the second biggest vote share of any group in the city.

'What has been made very clear to us is that people welcome having a real alternative to the traditional three parties,' he said following the party's AGM on Sunday. 'We only had seven candidates this year but we will have one in every ward next year.'

Cllr Madgwick was officially appointed as party leader at Sunday evening's meeting with Raymond Dent, its second-placed Copnor candidate in May becoming chairman.

The party, which was founded last year due to concerns that the national parties were having too big of a say in decisions made in the city, now has 97 registered members with 21 of them putting themselves forward to standing for election.'

'Fielding a full set of candidates is something we weren't able to do last year,' Cllr Madgwick added. 'We could've had more than the seven we did but didn't want to spread ourselves too thin.

'But having increased representation within the council will give us a bigger say in the larger decisions while carrying on the success in getting things done locally.'

He said every candidate put forward to represent the party would either live or work in the ward they are standing in, responding to concerns that too few councillors lived in the area they represent.

A full selection process is due to take place in November.

Councillor Brian Madgwick will be the party's deputy leader for the next year while May's Charles Dickens ward candidate Chris Dike was appointed as treasurer.

In July Cllr George Madgwick had to apologise to Conservative and Labour councillors whom he accused of taking 'backhanders' in a row over committee chairman roles, after a row in which he said they had done deals to nominate candidates for plum roles chairing city council committees.