This is just a quickie but I am hearing a fair bit from Mid-Beds that a name that keeps on coming up on the doorstep is the chairman of Central Bedfordshire Council, Gareth Mackey.

.He’s an independent councillor, who has announced he would stand as an independent, having previously said he would run in the constituency at the General Election.

He’s clearly got a lot of name recognition in the parts of the seat that are covered by the Central Beds council which is about two thirds.

It might just be that we are seeing a rejection of all the main parties.

My worry for him is that the main parties have the ability to send out a lot of volunteers to swamp the area.

I’ve had a few quid on him at 25/1.

Mike Smithson