Meet some Lib Dem candidates aiming to gain seats from Labour on May 4th

"Frank O'Kelly and myself are aiming to gain seats on Slough Council for the Lib Dems from Labour on May 4th in Cippenham Village Ward, alongside Amjad Abbasi and Asim Naveed in Elliman Ward," said Matthew Taylor, Chair of Slough Lib Dems - seen here with Frank O'Kelly at Cippenham pond.

"We all introduce ourselves below, and the reason the Lib Dems are hopeful of gaining the seats from Labour is that we have been campaigning vigorously in Cippenham Village and Elliman wards, and these wards cover areas where we were second to Labour and ahead of the Tories last time in 2022."

"We are offering the voters of Slough new approaches after the failure of Slough's Labour councillors who bankrupted the Council. All this means we have a good chance of winning both seats in each of these two wards. These chances are made even greater because of the unpopularity of the Tories as a result of the damage the Conservative Government is inflicting both on people's living standards and our vital public services."

One example of the new approaches in our positive manifesto is showing that Lib Dem councillors will demonstrate how Slough's cash-strapped Council could, in fact, gain millions of extra pounds through better policies such as adopting the Community Infrastructure Levy which would result in additional resources for facilities and infrastucture linked to new developments."

The full list of Lib Dem candidates are listed here, and then Frank O'Kelly, Matthew Taylor, Amjad Abbasi & Asim Naveed introduce themselves. (Check this site in a few days times when the remaining 4 Lib Dem candidates will also introduce themselves):

1. Cippenham Green: Gurmail S Hothi
2. Cippenham Manor: Manjit Singh
3. Cippenham Village: Frank O'Kelly; Matthew Taylor
4. Elliman: Amjad Abbasi; Asim Naveed
5. Haymill: Catharine Parkes
6. Langley Marish: Josephine Hanney.

Frank Mark O'Kelly, Liberal Democrat candidate for Cippenham Village Ward:

I have lived in Slough for over 20 years and manage the sales and customer support team of a Trading Estate company. From my business experience I know how valuable it would be to re-establish stronger links with our European partners. I am married with 5 children and they all attend schools in Slough. I am Vice Chair of Governors in one school, and chair of the Parents/Teachers Advisory Group at another. I welcome the Lib Dems' commitment to a much larger post-COVID recovery fund for schools than that provided by the Government, and as a councillor would work to end the Labour Council's cuts. I am an active member of my local neighbourhood watch, and believe a properly managed neighbour watch is a great community tool. I am keen to make the council accountable to the Slough community and push for a more transparent decision making process.

Matthew Benedict Taylor, Liberal Democrat candidate for Cippenham Village Ward:

I am an architect and have lived in Slough for 17 years. I am married with a son who attends school in Slough. My experience with building projects locally makes me aware of the need for reforms in Slough's planning system and for sustainable development strategies. As a councillor, I would press Slough Council to adopt the Community Infrastructure Levy. This is widely used elsewhere, and could bring in millions more to fund infrastructure and facilities around new developments. With colleagues in Cippenham's Lib Dem Focus team I already tackle issues including litter, fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and traffic, and, if elected would be better able to continue this campaigning. Problems were caused along the A4 by the Labour councillors' failure to consult properly before rushing ahead with their flawed bus lanes scheme. As a keen runner I believe exercise improves mental and physical health, and council policies should encourage this.

Amjad Abbasi, Liberal Democrat candidate for Elliman Ward:

I have lived in Slough for 16 years and know many people in Elliman from when I ran a business in Elliman Avenue. As a businessman and economics graduate, I am campaigning for proper financial management to be restored to Slough Council. Many people tell me how badly they have been hit by the Labour councillors' mismanagement of the council's finances which has led to the cuts in services like the ending of weekly bin collections from June, Labour's sell-off of valuable assets and 10% rise in Council Tax. As a community volunteer with the Royal Voluntary Service during the COVID pandemic, I know how important it is for people to cooperate. I was pleased to visit the dramatic "Knife Angel" sculpture at Arbour Park Stadium in January, and support the accompanying police campaign to bring the community together to stand against the dangers of knife and other violent crimes.

Asim Naveed, Liberal Democrat candidate for Elliman Ward :

I trained as a solicitor and enjoy living in the Elliman area of Slough. I now run a local business, and believe it is important for elected councillors to listen more to local people. In talking to many people in the Elliman area I know they feel Slough's Labour-run Council has not only terribly mismanaged the Council's finances, but has also failed to consult properly, for example over A4 bus lanes. There is also concern about the level of crime. If elected, I will promote cooperation across all agencies and groups in the community to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and secure more resources for local policing. For example, if the elected councillors encourage residents to report crimes, that helps the police to know where to concentrate resources. I support Lib Dem policy of calling for a guarantee that all burglaries will be attended by the police and properly investigated.