Local Election Candidates 2022

Across Woking, all our candidates share Our Vision for Woking, which builds on Liberal Democrat successes as a group at Council. Liberal Democrats commit to Financial Responsibility and Openness, to provide affordable homes, develop a local vision for our area, build a vibrant local economy giving residents a green and safe borough where there is leisure and well being for all.

John Morley for Horsell

John Morley is the Lib Dem candidate for Horsell in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

John has lived in Horsell with his family for a decade. During his career he has founded multiple businesses in the tourism sector and is a voice nationally for sustainability in tourism.

John plans to use his business experience to improve Council efficiency, ensuring better value for residents and improved services. He will also look to support local businesses and maintain the vibrance of Horsell village.

If elected, he would join Lib Dem Councillor Adam Kirby on Woking Borough Council. Together they would give Horsell the strong voice the village needs.

Andy Caulfield for Hoe Valley

Andy Caulfield is the Lib Dem candidate for Hoe Valley in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

If elected, he would join Councillors Will Forster and Louise Morales on Woking Borough Council. Andy is hoping to replace Deborah Hughes, following her decision to not to re-stand at the next election after her tremendous stint as a Councillor and Chair of Overview and Scrutiny that holds the Council's ruling Executive to account.

Andy is the chair of the South Woking Action Group, which successfully led the fight against plans to overdevelop the football ground. He has lived locally in Woking for 30 years, is a former lawyer and small business owner.

Stephen Oades for goldsworth Park

Stephen Oades is the Lib Dem candidate for Goldsworth Park in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Stephen lives locally and runs his own business. He has had a long career in IT, primarily in supply chain systems, and has worked all over the world; he has lived in Australia, Germany, Holland and the USA. Stephen was a Consulting Director for a leading software company and a global architect for an energy multinational before running his own consulting business.

If elected, Stephen would join Councillors Ann-Marie Barker and James Sanderson representing Goldsworth Park on Woking Borough Council.

Peter Graves for Pyrford

Peter Graves is the Lib Dem candidate for Pyrford in the Borough Council elections on 5 May

Peter has lived in Pyrford for over 14 years and before that he lived in Maybury for 17 years. Having also worked and taught in local schools for much of that time, Peter has gained a clear oversight of the issues faced by residents of Pyrford, Maybury, West Byfleet and the wider community.

Once elected, Peter will:

question Woking Borough Council's towering Conservative borrowing of almost £2 billion,
push for a quick reinstatement of garden waste collection,
seek to identify a solution to the parking issues at Marshall Parade in Pyrford to address the question of verge parking across the ward,
make sure that recreation facilities in Pyrford ward are maintained and are updated to suit the needs of residents,
ensure that any Community Infrastructure Levies are spent to the benefit.

Chris Martin for Byfleet and West byfleet

Chris Martin is the Lib Dem candidate for Byfleet and West Byfleet in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Chris Martin grew up in Chertsey and moved to Byfleet 9 years ago. He lives with his wife and two young sons and runs a sports events company. He has a love of sports and adventure and is often out and about on runs and cycle rides.

Chris is passionate about getting Byfleet's roads repaired to help prevent injuries to cyclists and damage to cars. He is a keen environmentalist and strongly opposes development on any of our precious Green Belt land.

He is happy to see work finally start on the Botanical Place site in the centre of West Byfleet and keeps a close eye on the project. He is also a keen supporter of the Byfleet Fire Station development. He will be campaigning for a proper crossing to be installed across Sopwith drive to allow residents a safe way to cross the road and enjoy Brooklands Park.

Local issues Chris is campaigning for:

1 Getting potholes repaired

2 Protecting the Green Belt and supporting development of brownfield sites such as Botanical Place, the Fire Station and Emerald House.

3 Developing cycle lanes to reduce the number of cars on the road and the congestion and parking issues in Parvis Road.

4 A pedestrian crossing at Sopwith Drive

5 Action in our parks and common spaces to prevent litter (often due to little or no provision of rubbish bins in the affected areas)

Tom Spenser for St John's

Tom Spenser is the Lib Dem candidate for St John's in the Borough Council elections on 5 May. He is hoping to replace Councillor Ken Howard, who is retiring after many years of service.

Tom has lived locally all his life and attended the Winston Churchill School. He has enjoyed being a part of the St John's community for some time and feels that one of the greatest strengths of the area is its close, supportive community.

If elected, Tom will strive to support local businesses and will press for more affordable housing and improved facilities for young people. Tom is also concerned to preserve the natural beauty of the area. He wants to implement more accessible facilities for waste disposal, to keep areas such as the Lye and adjacent woods and the canal towpath free from litter.

Tom's goal is to do all he can for residents to ensure that needs are met and issues are tackled in a timely way. He looks forward to joining local Lib Dem councillors Rob Leach and Dale Roberts on the Council and working with them to keep St John's a strong and happy community.

Liam Lyons for mount hermon

Liam Lyons is re-standing as the Lib Dem candidate for Mount Hermon in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Liam Lyons is a teacher at a secondary school in Woking, and former school governor of three local schools. He has lived in Mount Hermon for the past 16 years, and has represented the ward on the Council for most of that time.

He works hard to make changes in the ward that make a difference for the people who live there, including supporting residents with planning concerns, removing graffiti from Woking Park, installing a new community-use defibrillator and improving mobility access to the Pool in the Park.

Liam is keen to reduce Woking Borough Council's carbon footprint and he campaigns for more family homes. He is also a keen runner.

Guy Cosnahan for heathlands

Guy Cosnahan is the Lib Dem candidate for Heathlands in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Guy Cosnahan lives with his family in Mayford. He is involved with the New Life Church in Kingfield and is passionate about Mayford's Green Belt. He is concerned about the Conservative-run Council's level of debt and their plans for yet more tower blocks in the town centre.

If elected, Guy would work with Barnsbury, Mayford and Sutton Green's Lib Dem County Councillor Will Forster. Together, they would make a strong team for the local area.

Maya Singharay for knaphill

Maya Singharay is the Lib Dem candidate for Knaphill in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Maya grew up locally, attending St John's Primary School and Woking High School. She is now studying Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway College, University of London. She was a member of the local Guides and has spent some time as a Tutor at the Kumon Studies Centre, helping early learners with Maths and English.

Maya is concerned about the Conservative-run Council's finances, the shocking level of debt they have incurred and their plans for yet more tower blocks in the town centre. She wants to see more action to combat the effects of climate change.

Ilan Calyradja for canalside

Ilan Calyradja is the Lib Dem candidate for Canalside in the Borough Council elections on 5 May.

Ilan was born in Pondicherry to Tamil parents and went to school and University in South India. He is an IT engineer with over 10 years' experience in Information Technology. Ilan and his wife moved from France to England in 2008. They have been living in Woking since 2013 and have two young sons.

While studying at University, Ilan participated in various community service activities and has always had a keen interest in helping people and serving his local community. As a Councillor, joining the Lib Dem team, he believes he can be effective in meeting residents' needs and helping to improve the local area. He is particularly interested in providing more activities for young people, improving services for the elderly and supporting local businesses to help them thrive