Richard Whelan

Richard Whelan, 47, has been a member of the Liberal Democrats since the age of 14 and got involved with campaigning almost immediately when he got in touch, and worked, with his then local Liberal Democrat councillor on a campaign aimed at installing traffic lights at a notorious accident black spot near Leeds/Bradford Airport; about a mile from where he lived at the time. Having caught the campaigning bug he proceeded to work alongside his then Leeds North West local party by recruiting new members and activists, and assisting with fundraising efforts, all of which contributed to winning the constituency at the 2005 General Election.

Physically disabled since birth, that has not stopped Richard from leading an independent life. After his education was disrupted at the age of 11, when he spent a total of six months at the Peto Institute in Budapest, he returned to successfully complete his education and study for an International Relations and Politics degree at Coventry University. After leaving Coventry, Richard spent a year as an Administrative Assistant at the Benefits Agency in Leeds before undertaking a voluntary placement at Leonard Cheshire in London, where he gained experience of Policy Research.

Richard continues to engage with the policy community. After leaving Keele in 2016 he undertook an informal investigation into the role of Personal Assistants, and how it could be improved to allow disabled people to live more independent lives, by speaking to both service users and stakeholders at the very heart of the planning process. He also became active again with the Liberal Democrats by serving on the West Midlands Regional Executive.

Richard remains an active Liberal Democrat member and, in February 2024, was selected as the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Basingstoke, where his priorities include Health and the Environment.