Transitions and the Niche–Regime Interface: The Politics of ‘Independence’

This chapter explores the reasons why neoliberalism has seemingly not eaten the town and various conditions that enabled relocalised political innovation in Frome. Here, we look deeper into how informal ties affect the politics of transition, that is, the types of relationships that were embedded within Frome’s relocalised placemaking networks (and were weaved through government spaces through representation of some of the town’s active changemakers in the town council, under the Independents for Frome, IfF). We explore how these ties helped to give rise to emergent ‘conditions’ (highlighted in bold) that allowed IfF and to consolidate power and pursue particular sustainability ambitions and development alternatives in the town.