Lib Dems select Candidate for Truro and Falmouth

Leading Cornish campaigner and "Cornish Business Woman of the Year", Terrye Teverson, has been selected by Truro & Falmouth Liberal Democrats as their parliamentary candidate for the next General Election.

Commenting, Mrs Teverson said:

"I will be fighting for everyone in Truro & Falmouth and across Cornwall as a whole, with housing at the top of my priority list. Tens of thousands of Cornish families are waiting for a home. Thanks to the Conservative right-to-buy scheme and a decade of Labour neglect, there simply isn't nearly enough affordable housing for local people. Affordable homes for local people will be my first campaign for this community.

"I want to win Cornwall a fair deal for our local NHS, schools, police and public services, and I will be working for a solution to our sky-high water bills. The lead up to General Election is going to be a busy time and I can't wait to get cracking on local issues for local people."

Truro & St Austell MP Matthew Taylor's recent decision to stand down at the next election means that the Liberal Democrats are selecting new parliamentary candidates to fight for both the new Truro & Falmouth and St Austell & Newquay seats. The next General Election, expected anytime between now and 2010, will see Cornwall elect six seats next time rather than five, as the boundaries for the county's parliamentary constituencies are redrawn.

Matthew Taylor MP, who will continue to represent Truro until the next election but is standing down following the recent birth of his son to give more time to his new family, said:

"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Terrye will do a fantastic job for the people of Truro & Falmouth. I know from working with her for nearly twenty years that she is a driven campaigner committed 100% to Cornwall, and living and working here she has a real understanding of the pressures facing local people. She is an excellent choice - and with local support will be an invaluable part of the Team for Cornwall in Cornwall and in due course I hope in Parliament."

The Falmouth part of Julia Goldsworthy MP's constituency will also be in the new Truro & Falmouth seat after the General Election. Ms Goldsworthy said she is delighted at Mrs Teverson's selection and is looking forward to working with her for a fair deal for Falmouth in the lead up to the next election:

"Terrye has been a dedicated campaigner for the local community and has a thorough understanding of the needs of different people in Cornwall, especially Falmouth and Penryn. I am excited about working closely with her for the people of this area over the coming year or so, and after the next General Election with Terrye and the rest of my Cornish colleagues in Westminster."

Terrye made her name first as a local councillor, elected onto Kerrier District Council in 1987 and in 1991/2 was elected as Chair of the Council. Fighting two General Election campaigns for the Lib Dems in Falmouth in 1992 and 1997, she is credited with building the foundations for Julia Goldsworthy's win in 2005. She has three daughters and lives at Tregony, near Truro, with her husband Robin Teverson, former Liberal Democrat MEP for Cornwall and Plymouth.