By-election in Pyrland ward on 7 May

Meet your Lib Dem candidate, David Northey

Hello. I live in Malvern Terrace, and this area matters to me — not just as a candidate, but as a neighbour who uses the same roads, catches the same buses and deals with the same frustrations as you.

Last June, I campaigned with our MP Gideon Amos to reinstate the 6.22am Number 1 bus to Musgrove Park Hospital for key workers – and we won! I'm now pushing for a more regular service and a Sunday service, because 5,000 people a week depend on this route and it's not good enough.

I've spent 42 years working on the railways, from Taunton station booking office to strategic planning. Since retiring, I've co-chaired the Somerset Bus Partnership, lobbying for better services across the county. I also set up @2K Theatre, a community drama group that has taken over 50 shows to venues across West Somerset, bringing theatre to communities that rarely get it and helping neurodiverse young people find confidence and flourish.

I've been out knocking on doors across Pyrland and I've heard your concerns: potholes on Dorchester Road, bus shelters that need cleaning, Warwick Road not being gritted last winter, and real worry about what new development will mean for congestion and access to services.

These are the things I'll fight for on the Town Council. I'll also work closely with our Somerset Council colleagues and with Gideon Amos MP to make sure Pyrland has a strong voice at every level.