The Liberal Democrats have announced that James Monaghan will be their candidate for the new Wetherby & Easingwold constituency at the general election.
James lives in Knaresborough with his partner and their two young children. He is a director of a local financial services company and plays an active role in the local community having been chair of Knaresborough Civic Society. James is a former Leeds City Councillor and Knaresborough Town Councillor who also chaired the Leeds Climate Change Partnership.
James said:
It is a privilege to stand as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Wetherby & Easingwold. As a brand new constituency the Liberal Democrat’s have a real opportunity to challenge the Conservatives for change here.
James is a long time Liberal Democrat member who has been involved in the party as a campaigner for over 20 years.
James said:
In all my campaigning I have never known voters so disillusioned with the Conservative Party. They have broken our NHS, caused a cost of living crisis, and failed to tackle sewage dumping in our waterways.
Labour supporters I have spoken to are uninspired by Keir Starmer and so there is a great opportunity for the Liberal Democrats to stand out with our message of a fair deal for all.
The Liberal Democrats and I are fighting to get a better deal for Wetherby & Easingwold. We’re demanding better access to GP and dental services, fighting for a fair deal for our NHS, and calling for real action to tackle the cost of living crisis.
If you would like to find out more or support our campaign please visit northyorkslibdems.org.uk
Biography:
James was born and raised in Yorkshire and currently lives in Knaresborough with his partner, Hannah and their two young children.
James studied a BSC (Hons) in Physics with Space Technology at Leicester University, during which time he interned at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Leicester Space Research Centre researching climate change. He has always had an interest in the old and the new and undertook research in the archaeological applications of satellite data.
After graduating James established a software development business, which he ran for several years in Leeds before selling the company. As a lifelong Liberal Democrat James was involved in campaigning in Leeds and was elected as a councillor to Leeds City Council.
As a Leeds councillor James was an Area Committee Chair and latterly Executive Member for the Environment where he chaired the Leeds Climate Change Partnership. James brought his enthusiasm for championing green issues to the role, which saw Leeds lead the way for commitments on tackling climate change during his tenure.
With the birth of their first child James and his partner Hannah moved to Knaresborough where James served on Knaresborough Town Council and was chair of Knaresborough Civic Society and involved in the Chamber of Trade. James is currently the director of a financial services company where he has worked for the past 10 years.
James is passionate about preserving
our built heritage and the character of our towns and villages. James is no nimby but believes new housing should be built in sustainable locations with high quality design and be truly affordable.
James is a member of the Electoral Reform Society and a strong believer in making our voting system fairer.
