David Turner - Liberal Democrat candidate in the general election

12.13.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th May 2005

Liberal Democrat vote held up in Henley at the General Election

David Turner maintained the Liberal Democrat support in the Henley constituency at the General Election at just over 12,000. He said, "This election showed the Liberal Democrats as the clear challengers to the Tories in Henley, and Labour fell to little over half our vote: we are the only party capable of beating the Tories here."

David Turner, Liberal Democrat candidate for Henley constituency

David was re-elected as County Councillor for Chalgrove, on new boundaries, for the fourth time. He is also a South Oxfordshire District Councillor (since 1995) and he has chaired both councils. He is Liberal Democrat County Council spokesman on Learning and Culture and Public Transport and has expertise in housing, youth services and recreation. He has fought hard to restore and improve access to public transport in the villages he represents, and alongside all 21 Liberal Democrats on the County Council, voted against the Conservative proposal to build in the green Belt at Grenoble road.

David has lived in Chalgrove for 25 years, serving as a Chalgrove Parish Councillor and Governor of Chalgrove Primary School for the last 24 years. He has worked hard on road safety, forming the A329/B480 Five Parishes Action Group which has helped in reducing the level of personal injury accidents along these roads.

David is married to Kathy, a teacher, and has two grown up sons, Karl and Jonathan, both of them educated in local state schools and colleges. He is self employed and runs an industrial, public information and sports electronic display business.

The Liberal Democrats' election campaign was about Freedom, Fairness and Trust. David said, "The people are fed up with the spin and deceit type of politics. The Liberal Democrats fought a positive campaign concentrating on people's hopes for the future."

Scrap the Council Tax. Liberal Democrats are the only party who propose to scrap the unfair Council Tax, which was introduced by Tory leader Michael Howard and is still supported by him and the Labour Party. Instead we will replace it with a local income tax, based on people's ability to pay, not the theoretical value of their home, which will increase sharply after the coming revaluation. Under the Liberal Democrats a typical household will save around £450 per year.

Abolish Tuition Fees. It is wrong that tens of thousands of students are being saddled with mountainous debts. Tuition fees are deterring students from financially worse-off families from entering higher education.

Free Personal Care for the Elderly. All people nearing the end of their lives deserve dignity. Liberal Democrats will provide free personal care when people most need it, and for as long as they need it.

David Turner said, "Unlike the other parties, our policies for this General Election are fully costed, published and checked by the Institute of Fiscal Studies." He challenged Boris Johnson and the Tories to do the same.

David is a keen long distance walker, who has completed the Pennine Way, Wainwright's coast to coast walk, Offa's Dyke Path and the Dales Way in recent years. He looks forward to walking the Thames Path to Westminster after May 5th as Henley's MP.

Contact David on 01865 891169