COULD you please pass on my thanks to those of your readers who voted for me, the Independent candidate for Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Despite very limited resources my supporters made an enormous effort to spread the word about the campaign across Cheshire, backed by a comprehensive online and PR campaign carried out by my election agent Julie Tempest who donated her time and expertise free of charge.

Receiving almost 18,600 votes from a standing start was an amazing accomplishment, especially when our total campaign spend was in the region of £1,500. It will be interesting to see just how much the political parties spent per vote received once the campaign accounts are submitted.

Coming an extremely comfortable third ahead of the Lib Dem and UKIP candidates was also very satisfying.

Over the past three months the big message I’ve heard from voters across Cheshire is that people are increasingly dissatisfied with party politics at all levels of Government.

That’s something I, and my like-minded network will be addressing in the coming months – we believe we’ve shown how much people value the Independent voice and that we can make a big impact in the future.

SARAH FLANNERY