Lisa Smart reconfirmed as MP candidate

Lisa Smart has been reconfirmed as the candidate for Hazel Grove constituency at the Liberal Democrats AGM this week.

Just a five per cent swing would be enough to turn the seat gold at the general election expected next year, with the seat open after the current MP announced his intention not to stand again, and with Labour a distant third in the constituency.

Smart, who has a successful career in business and international development as well as being a councillor in the constituency, said: “Hazel Grove constituency needs a new MP, and the country needs a new Government. 

“We need to be ambitious for and proud of the place where we live. We can deliver a fairer deal for the people of the area – the people who I have lived and worked with for the last decade.”

Smart, who can point to a wide range of wins for the area – including getting specialist status for Stepping Hill Hospital, keeping night and weekend crews at Offerton Fire Station, and keeping services on the Rose Hill rail line – is targeting further support for projects which will directly benefit the community.

She added: “An MP should be a champion for opportunity; whether that’s for a better education, for better facilities and services, for a better business environment.

“The constituency of Hazel Grove is a place where people and businesses can thrive, but instead they are being let down by the desperation of a Government that’s out on its knees, and by Conservative MPs who are part of that. 

“I’m standing to deliver a fairer deal for everyone who lives and works here. I’m proud of what I have already delivered for this area, and I am ambitious for what I will be able to deliver as its MP.”