In the run-up to the General Election, the Standard will be interviewing the candidates vying to represent North Wiltshire in Parliament. This week, reporter Elliot Cass spoke with Simon Killane.

INDEPENDENT candidate Simon Killane is hoping to shake up the political system by becoming MP without the support of a party.

Although he is a former Liberal Democrat, Mr Killane said he decided to stand as an independent candidate after realising that it is better to work towards the common goals of your constituents without having to appease a political party.

And he said he would be willing to work with anybody from any party if it was for the greater good of North Wiltshire.

“What I’m trying to say to people is that I will work with anybody who wants to do good things for North Wiltshire, for the country and internationally,” he said.

Currently a councillor for Malmesbury at both the town and county level, Mr Killane juggles his official role as chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee for Wiltshire with a job and a young family.

Despite his good work for the town, Mr Killane is perhaps best know to Standard readers for his battles with vocal critics, but he is quick to dismiss them as "hate campaigners" who are targeting him for the political gain of others.

The Irish-born father-of-three first came to the UK while studying for a degree in mechanical engineering in Galway, spending a year on a placement in Sheffield.

After he graduated, he secured a job in Malmesbury at Dyson before moving to Tetbury-based Autonumis where he designs refrigerators and vending machines as a project manager.

Mr Killane played a key role in shaping Malmesbury’s Neighbourhood Plan for housing development, which allows councillors to reject developers' applications to build new homes in the town.

Malmesbury's Neighbourhood Plan was the first in Wiltshire and has paved the way for others across the country.

Mr Killane said that housing development would be a top priority if he was elected MP for North Wiltshire.

He said he would fight to create extra school places, medical facilities and jobs to meet the demand from residents at new developments.

Battling to protect and enhance the NHS, combat climate change, and reverse austerity measures would also be high on his list, he said.

Mr Killane is also pro European Union, saying: “I’m a strong believer in Europe. If we leave Europe we will be isolated.”