UKIP's Rod Butler believes his party still have a role to play in local politics

Since Britain voted to leave the EU, the country's premier Brexit party has been hit with a mixture of scandal and turmoil, with three leaders coming and going and 145 council seats lost last year.

Rod Butler, who first won the Waltham Abbey Honey Lane seat with a one per cent majority in 2013, believe he has a chance of re-election on May 3.

He said: "People say the UKIP is finished now that Nigel Farage has gone and now that we won the referendum and have Brexit. Yes of course Nigel leaving left a big gap in the party’s structure, however, there is still work for UKIP.

"Where is the credible opposition to the Conservatives? Why are we dragging our feet with Brexit instead of getting in the drivers seat? Why are grooming gangs operating and taking advantage of children all over Britain?

"And locally, why has law and order gone to the bottom of the list? Why has littering and fly tipping become so prevalent with little done to prevent it? Why are green spaces being given over to provide car parks and blocks of flats?"

Within the context of this long list of national and local concerns, Cllr Butler is running on a heritage ticket.

He added: "Epping Forest is a rural area. We need to protect our green fields, our open spaces, our forest, our history and heritage. It was only a year ago that the The Royal Gunpowder Mills historical site was being suggested as a suitable site for development as a holiday camp.

"Don’t ask ‘what’s the point of UKIP now?’ Ask who will speak up for protecting our history, our heritage and the rural environment we cherish so much.

"If we leave it to the powers that be, you will soon see the fields and forest of Epping given over to tarmac and concrete, and our history replaced with businesses, which have no interest in protecting the proud heritage of our local towns and villages."

The Guardian will be publishing other parties' manifestos ahead of the local elections.