The Liberal Democrats have chosen Haxby & Wigginton councillor Andrew Hollyer to contest the York Outer constituency at the next General Election.

Andrew was selected following a ballot of party members and has vowed to campaign for a better deal for the communities that make up the York Outer constituency.

Cllr Hollyer said: “More and more people are turning to the Liberal Democrats as a positive choice for a fairer society, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with local residents to get action on the issues that matter most to them.

“Improving access to health services is a key priority for me, and I know from personal experience how vital it is. In 2016 I was diagnosed with cancer and saw the best and worst of the NHS throughout my year-long treatment period.

Labour Luke in rematch against York Outer MP Julian Sturdy

“As a local councillor my priority is to make a positive difference for the community where I live, and as a parliamentary candidate I will do the same for all of York Outer’s communities.”

Cllr Hollyer, a town planner by trade, is a member of both City of York Council’s planning committee and chairman of its Audit and Governance Committee.

He gained a diploma and BA in planning from the University of Sheffield before spending nearly 13 years as a town planner with Derbyshire County Council.

For the past few years, the full-time councillor has also listed his employment as a campaign organiser for the Liberal Democrats.

At the 2019 General Election the Liberal Democrats’ share of the vote rose in York Outer whilst Labour’s vote share fell, and in the May 2023 local elections the Liberal Democrats polled 14,332 votes across York Outer wards – more than the Conservatives (6,769) and Labour (6,532) combined. The Liberal Democrats hold 18 of the 23 council seats in York Outer.

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Cllr Hollyer added: “For too long York Outer has been taken for granted by the Conservatives, and many people are understandably hungry for change. I’m determined to offer residents an alternative to more years of Tory neglect and an unappealing offer from Labour locally and nationally.”

The Labour Party last July announced its candidate as Luke Charters, who previously stood against sitting MP Julian Sturdy in 2017.

Mr Charters is a former London councillor, but has lived in York for more than 20 years, attending school here.

He was born at York Hospital, he went to Huntington School, and has lived in Haxby, Strensall and Osbaldwick. The 26-year-old new dad was brought up by a single-mum in Heworth

No official announcement has been made yet, but the Conservative candidate is expected to be Julian Sturdy, who has represented the constituency since 2010. In 2019, he gained a 9,985 majority with just over half the vote.