Chippenham Liberal Democrats re-select Helen Belcher

Helen Belcher was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for Chippenham at a packed meeting in Melksham on Thursday evening.

She was chosen by party members from a shortlist of three, winning the vote convincingly. Helen Belcher had contested the seat in the 2017 general election and on being re-selected said:

It is a huge honour and privilege to represent the party in Chippenham again. The next general election campaign starts now, and it’s great to have an energised local party who are ready for action. Conservative cuts are decimating both our local services and our NHS and schools. Both Conservatives and Labour have moved to extreme positions. It’s time to reassert a clear, strong Liberal voice in Parliament.

Cllr Pat Aves, the constituency party’s chair, said:

We’re really pleased to have Helen as our candidate again. She did an excellent job last time and we are hopeful for even better things to come. The interest from local party members has been tremendous.

In the 2017 election, Helen Belcher held on to the party’s second place in what was previously Duncan Hames’s constituency, with 26% of the vote. Apart from former MP Sarah Olney, who was defending a by-election win in Richmond Park, Helen had the best result in the country of any Liberal Democrat who had joined the party since the 2015 General Election. Bases on these election results, Chippenham remains in the top 35 Liberal Democrat prospects the country.

She wrote about her experience of being a Parliamentary candidate in Lib Dem Newswire #86 (full piece here):

To find myself with a small opportunity to help shape the debate and the future of our country is a huge privilege. It can feel quite daunting at times., especially as the stakes seem so high. But it’s an opportunity I’ve grasped with both hands, especially as I never thought I’d have it.

Helen Belcher is currently the chair of the LGBT Consortium, a national infrastructure charity working with hundreds of charities in the LGBT sector. She is also the managing director of Aurum Solutions Ltd, a company she founded in 2004.

There’s a full list of Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate selections so far here.

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