Around 70 people attended a public meeting in Allington on Saturday to hear a speech from Ukip election hopeful, Eddie Powell.

Cllr Powell, who is the party’s group leader on Maidstone Borough Council, has announced his intention to stand for the Maidstone and the Weald constituency in the May General Election.

Cllr Powell said it was time to put an end to the career politicians and the journalistic spin of the old parties.

He promised to “shake up Westminster and bring democracy back to the constituents of Maidstone.”

He said: “We are the only party prepared to actually listen to the people’s will, find out the root cause of the problems and then propose a fair, but firm solution that works.”

Arguing that the old parties were powerless to solve local issues as long as they were constrained by membership of the European Union, he gave the example of local housing targets, asserting that a major part of the additional housing need was a direct result of the EU’s open-door immigration policy.

He said: “Ukip is here to restore power to the people. That’s why big business and the current Westminster and EU elites hate and fear us.”

If anyone would like to help Cllr Powell in his election campaign, they should contact him on eddie.powell@ukipmaidstone.co.uk

*Other candidates already declared for the election in Maidstone are Allen Simpson (Labour), Helen Grant (Conservative), Jasper Gerard (Lib Dem), Hannah Patton (Green) and Dr Paul Hobday (National Health Action Party).