It is an honour to have been nominated as your prospective councillor for Belsize

People may wonder why I have decided to use a photo of me and Boris. Especially since I am an Independent, well I wish to make the point that love or hate him, Boris is very much an independent and has done a great deal of good for London.

However, this is where I must end the high accolade and turn to the darker side of Boris Johnson as Mayor.

Since 2012 Boris has systematically made aggressive cuts to essential services that have had a "dire" consequence to Camden and specifically Belsize ward where I live and am a very active voice for my local community.

We have lost our local Police Station at Hampstead only a short walk away from Belsize, closed and gone forever and sold to private developers to turn into luxury homes (there was a "joke" rumour that it would become the new McDonalds in Hampstead!) and then we come to the most recent and tragic of losing forever our local Belsize Fire Station, literally opposite my home.

I went to the local meetings to meet (and argue the case for Belsize) the Borough Fire Chief to ask directly in his words what the consequences of this closure would mean to the residents and local businesses would mean.

He openly said that with the closure of Belsize Fire Station that Belsize being at the heart of having a Fire Station would be at the epicentre of lowest response times in Camden due to the closure and being placed so much further from alternate Fire Stations.

He did however attempt to reassure that residents in Belsize would receive turn out times in line with national recommendations, but he openly admitted that Belsize would change from an excellent turn out response times to one of the lowest in Camden due to the much longer travel times for fire engines to come from the Euston Road area, through traffic jams at peak hours.

So it is with much sadness that the man "Boris" whom I had admired as being almost an enigma and somewhat of an Independent within the Tory party has been so draconian in his position as Mayor.

It was over these reasons that I resigned from the Conservative Party, where in 2010 I was your prospective councillor and candidate for Belsize and almost won only being beaten by the Lib Dems by a hair whisker of 52 votes.

As a protest to the outrage of losing vital services in Camden I did "join" with the Labour Party of Camden and was asked and agreed to go on the "Stop The Cuts" Rally through central London back in 2012.

So with my anger quashed and my spirits lifted by making a "public" stand I announced that I would re-double my efforts to bring about change for good in Camden but as an "Independent" not linked to any party political machines. Free to follow with my experience gained over all these years in party politics to follow my conscience of what I believe to be true and right.

With this hopefully brief summary of where I am now and why I have put my self forward as your prospective councillor and candidate for Belsize ward.

Over the next month I will be attempting to make as much face to face contact and engagement as possible with you all.

Please check in here and on Twitter @nigelrumble often to see how this campaign is going.