Election of Executive Committee Members 2025

Nominations for positions on the 2025 Lambeth Liberal Democrats Executive Committee have now closed. Peter Truesdale is serving as the Returning Officer (RO) for these elections.

Serving on the Executive Committee is a fantastic way to help govern and shape the direction of our local Party. You can find nominees for our Executive Committee roles (including their candidate statements) below. For each position you will also have the opportunity to Re-open Nominations (RON). 

You can also find role descriptions for the Officer positions, as well as our Lambeth Liberal Democrats Constitution below. 

Voting is now open and wil close at 11:59 pm on Sunday 8th December. Shortly after this, the result will be announced.

Our Constitution (see below) states that all members of the Lambeth Liberal Democrats will receive their ballots to elect their Executive Committee members within 7 days of the AGM. You will receive your ballot by email or - in the event that we have no email for you on file - you will be issued with a unique voting code (UVC) by post (you will be required to enter this UVC into an online voting site).

In the event that you have not received your e-ballot or UVC through the post by the end of day on 24th November, please contact the RO on: peter@truesdale.com 

NOMINATIONS

Chair

Nicholas Sanders

Clearly, Lambeth Liberal Democrats have made huge advances over the last few years, because of the work done by the current and previous executive committees. A large contribution to this achievement has been the welcome given to new members and the way so many of us have been motivated to help with campaigns. As the new Chair, my role will be to maintain this momentum by valuing all contributions and developing consensus. My previous experience negotiating strategies and taking new products to market will contribute to further advances. London is a liberal city that needs a relevant voice.

Secretary

John Siraut

As a party member for 25 years, I've actively supported election campaigns through candidacy, canvassing, leafleting, telling and counting agent. My community involvement includes serving as Chair of Governors at the Ofsted rated Outstanding Sacred Heart Academy in Camberwell. I am happy to take both supporting and leading roles, fostering collaboration and teamwork. With strong organizational and communication skills, I am committed to building long-term relationships and contributing positively to our party's success.

Treasurer

Jackie Harper-Wray

I have been serving on the Executive as Treasurer for the past two years. Given the growth plans for the year ahead for the local party, I should like to continue as Treasurer so that there is no break in financial management. Though I am still relatively new to the Liberal Democrats, I have a background in accountancy and financial management of small organisations.

Vice Chair (Campaigns)

Alex Davies

I first got involved with the local party executive in 2000, and have been chair, vice chair and treasurer at various points over the years. I was elected to Lambeth Council for four years from 2010, serving in Streatham Wells. At a national level, I worked in Parliament for 15 years, most recently as Vince Cable’s chief of staff when he was leader. I am seeking election as Vice Chair with a view to helping co-ordinate our Borough-wide campaign for the 2026 elections. I hope to bring some useful experience to bear in getting more councillors elected next time.

Elections Officer

Donal Kane

I'm putting myself forward for the role of Elections Officer to build on my experience working with electoral data and campaigns. Over the past few years, I’ve been involved in using data to help us target our efforts effectively across Lambeth. My goal is to ensure we maximise our chances of electing more Liberal Democrat councillors in the 2026 local elections. I’m committed to strengthening our campaigning strategy, supporting our volunteers, and ensuring we get the best election performance possible.

Membership Development Officer

Haboon Adan

I’m standing for Membership Development Officer to build a strong, engaged, and inclusive community within Lambeth Liberal Democrats. I plan to organise events that foster connection and ensure new members feel welcomed and supported. By supporting members at risk of leaving and maintaining accurate records, I aim to enhance retention and deepen engagement. Through regular communication and updates, I will keep members informed and motivated, creating a sense of belonging and commitment. My goal is to develop a membership base that reflects Lambeth’s diversity, encouraging active involvement across all areas of our community and our party.

Diversity Officer

Eloka Ikegbunam

Lambeth is one of London’s most diverse boroughs  and it’s important to ensure our local party looks like the people who we hope to represent. It is why I'm standing for Diversity Champion because I want to see us improve and diversify our membership. For the next term, I want to work with the executive to champion the voices of those under-presented in our local party by ensuring they have the ability to make positive contributions within our local party by promoting more training and mentorship for those who are keen but reluctant to try and get involved.

Ordinary members (10 positions to elect) 

Ben Austin

I am currently vice Chair of Lambeth and have been an officer or exec member since 2018. I have enjoyed the long hard slog of getting us back on the Council and am looking forward to helping us win even more in 2026.

Jane Chelliah

I’m seeking to be nominated as an ordinary member of the Liberal Democrat executive committee to bring a fresh, everyday perspective as an older woman of colour to our shared goals. As someone who understands the challenges of balancing work, family, and personal growth, I’m committed to ensuring our policies resonate with people from all walks of life. I believe in making politics accessible, relatable, and impactful. Together, we can strengthen our party’s values and drive change that benefits everyone, not just the privileged few.

Nicholas Davidson

I have been an active member of the Executive Committee for the last year including liaising with the Sutton Party to help get Bobby and Luke elected in July and spending a good deal of my own time campaigning in their seats.  I was also our candidate in the two Streatham Common and Vale by-elections this year.  If elected, I will continue to draw on my experience of 25 years as a Streatham resident and a long career spent in both the private and public sectors to contribute to the Executive’s strategic oversight of the Lambeth Party.

Heather Glass

I'm a hands-on person with broad campaign organising experience gained from seven years (and many elections) as a Lambeth Lib Dem, and from chairing Lambeth for Europe since 2016. We have a really talented group of councillors and Exec candidates, and with the right support I believe there's enormous potential to expand our membership and representation across the borough and beyond. If elected, I'll be an active and committed member of that support team, pitching in with practical help and sharing my experience wherever it's useful.

Alex Haylett

I moved to Lambeth over 20 years ago whilst at university and have lived here ever since.  I have been a member of the Lib Dems for almost as long.  I have previously been an agent and have served on the D&WN and Lambeth Executives in a number of roles including Secretary and Vice-Chair.  I would like to serve as an ordinary member to offer my support and my previous Exec experience to the new Committee to ensure that the local party is run effectively such that it is best able to serve our community and our members.

Sarah Lewis

Having served as Chair for the past three years, I am keen to continue to play my part in advancing the success of our local party. As an ordinary member, I will ensure a smooth handover to the new Committee and focus on raising the funds we need to realise our ambition to elect more of our fantastic local candidates to Lambeth Council.

Alistair Leigh

My name is Alistair and I am standing for re-election.

In the last year I have been privileged to work across the borough and beyond for the party.

In my role as a committee member I led on our party's participation at the Stockwell festival. This was a great event and exactly the kind of community event I think we should be involved in.

If re-elected I want to reach out to even more communities. I look forward to working on our 2026 campaign for the local elections and helping to get more liberal democrat local champions elected.

Claire Mathys

I am re-standing to serve on the Executive for 2025 to help the party build and grow ahead of the next set of Lambeth Council elections. I bring experience of working for the national Liberal Democrat party and for MPs and Peers, where I specialised in policy and strategy, and also local engagement with a focus on engaging the membership and policy. I run a political consultancy which supports not-for-profits seeking to influence public policy. I look forward to playing a part in increasing Liberal Democrat representation across Lambeth in 2026.

Colin Penning

I live in the Clapham Common and Abbeville ward where I supported our campaigns in the last few elections and helped Benny Curtis get elected. I want to add my experience campaigning for the party, training members and as a campaigner in the charity sector to our Lambeth team. I lived in Streatham where I helped our campaigns. I led successful campaigns in Hounslow, Yorkshire and Norfolk. I was on the national committee of the Green Lib Dems. I worked in the charity sector leading public health and mental health campaigns.

Barney Potts

I am a final-year student who joined the party in 2019 because of our unique liberal values and wanting to participate in the general election campaign. Since then I’ve been active with door-knocking and local party events, so I want this role to get involved more.

I’d particularly like to see us improve our social media presence and outreach to young supporters. Having lived on the Stockwell Gardens Estate for three years, I also know the importance of highlighting and fixing local issues.

I ran an award-winning charity and provide legal support to refugees, bringing those lessons to the role.

Ian Tedder

I joined the Lib Dems in 1989 and over the years I’ve helped with numerous ward and constituency campaigns. Emboldened by recent successes, I’ve been considering what else I could do to help further the Lib Dem cause! Helping govern and shape the direction of the local party as an Ordinary Member would be a great opportunity to do just that. I’m a medical research scientist by profession, a leaseholder on Vauxhall Gardens Estate, and a member of the LGBTQ community. I’m passionate about getting us back into the EU, about education, diversity and inclusion, and the environment.

Monica Whyte

As a previous Chair of Haringey Lib Dem Executive, a member of the campaign committee that saw Lynne Featherstone elected MP for Hornsey & Wood Green (2005 & 2010) and having served two terms as a Lib Dem Councillor (2006 -2014) I've developed good campaigning skills. For the past three years, I’ve contributed to Lambeth’s Executive, sharing my experience to strengthen our local team. Our passionate and committed group aims to increase our elected representatives in Lambeth. With 2025 being crucial for our 2026 electoral goals, I’m eager to continue serving on the executive to help achieve these ambitions.