Lindley Lib Dems have selected a new candidate for the Kirklees district elections in May.

Anthony Smith will be the Liberal Democrat candidate this year, and will fight to join Cllr Cahal Burke and Cllr Richard Eastwood in the Lindley ward.

The selection follows the decision that incumbent Lindley councillor Gemma Wilson will not seek re-election in May, due to ongoing personal commitments.

Councillor Gemma Wilson, who has been a councillor for Lindley since 2015, defected from Kirklees Conservative group and joined Kirklees Liberal Democrats in June 2018.

In explaining why she is stepping down and is not seeking re-election, Cllr Wilson said:

“I would like to thank my colleagues in Lindley and to the wider party, who have all been great to work with and have been enormously supportive. It’s been an amazing privilege to work with them.

I’ve had to step back at times this year for personal reasons, but I believe that Lindley has an excellent candidate in Anthony Smith, who has my full support.

Of course, I’m looking forward to continuing to work with my colleagues at all the various community events in Lindley. “

Cllr Burke and Cllr Eastwood have paid tribute to Cllr Wilson and acknowledged her support over the course of the year.

Councillor Burke said:

“I would like to thank Gemma for her hard work this year. It’s been great to have a united team in Lindley and to be able to work together to support our residents.

We have to look forward now, and I would like to welcome our new candidate.

Anthony lives locally and is a long-standing member of the party. He’s also hugely active in the community and has been working closely with local community groups for a long time. He’s a hard worker and I’m confident that he would be a fantastic addition to our team and to Lindley.

We’ll continue to fight to get a good deal for local people and work together for the people of Lindley ward.”