Political Experience
I'm a seasoned electoral campaigner, having served as a candidate in the 2024 (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) and 2019 (Bishop Auckland) General Elections. I also contested the Jedburgh by-election in Scottish Borders Council in 2024, the party's first candidate there for twelve years.
I have twice been elected as a Councillor, for Otley Town Council (2019 and 2015) in Yorkshire, increasing my majority in 2019 after serving as Leader of the Council (2015-19).
I was Constituency Chair for Leeds North West when we successfully retained the seat in 2015, with Greg Mulholland returning to Parliament as one of the 8 Liberal Democrat survivors of the Coalition.
I'm presently serving on Federal Policy Committee's Climate Change Policy Working Group, reviewing party policy last approved in 2019, ready for Autumn Federal Conference. I have led the Just Transition sub-group.
I have extensive campaigning experience, politically and professionally, and will use this for the benefit of our whole Holyrood campaign, across the South Scotland region. Of critical importance is supporting local candidates, especially in 150 Rising wards, building our support, targeting our resources effectively for the 2027 local elections as well as winning back our Regional List seat in Holyrood.
Track record of delivery
Photos of Cllr Sandy Lay, Leeds City Council (middle) and Tim Farron MP (bottom) appear with their permission. Appearing in a photo does not imply endorsement of the candidate
As Leader of Otley Town Council, I led a group of eighteen Liberal Democrats (in a Council of twenty members) and shaped several delivery successes:
Created the Investing in Otley Fund which utilised a precept increase to pay for future payments on low-interest Public Works Loan Board loans -- with this, we completed an eco-retrofit of a 1960s building used as a day centre for the elderly, and invested in the town's first 3G all-weather sports pitch.
Raised funds from the Railway Heritage Fund and National Lottery to restore the Grade 2 Listed Navvies Memorial to men that died building the Bramhope Tunnel.
Became the first major Town in Yorkshire to declare a Climate Emergency.
Launched Otley as a Refill Town, setting up several water refill stations to reduce plastic bottle use, as well as launching a Refillable Coffee Cup programme and various other green projects including a full-time Town Caretaker to deep clean the town centre.
Managed a contaminated land crisis on one of our allotment sites, successfully supporting angry allotment holders while the problem was addressed.
In my professional life, I have had a successful career spanning sectors, including influential periods of secondment into Defra and the Cabinet Office (Prime Minister's Strategy Unit) and executive roles that delivered policy which increased the UK's recycling performance fourfold between 2001 and 2008. I launched a unique advocacy body for recycling businesses (the Resource Association) which influenced UK recycling policy a decade ago, and I was a founding trustee of WasteAid, an international development charity which has expanded and successfully delivers projects across Africa and Asia to minimise the impact of poor waste management and improve livelihoods through creating recycling micro-enterprises.
