Labour and Conservative Councillors will stand
The Conservative and Labour candidates for the London Assembly's Merton and Wandsworth seat have been selected.
Merton Councillor David Dean was selected by Conservatives from Battersea, Putney, Tooting, Wimbledon and Mitcham & Morden at a meeting on Wednesday (September 16).
Labour's candidate is Wandsworth Councillor Leonie Cooper, who received 1,140 votes in a vote among local members. Merton Councillor Martin Whelton received 528 votes.
Councillor Cooper, who was named as a candidate on Tuesday, was second in the 2012 election to winner Richard Tracey. The Tory AM member has already announced he is retiring in 2016.
David Dean was born in Peckham and grew up on the St Helier estate in Morden; he was a Merton councillor for Trinity ward in Wimbledon from 2006-2010, and has been Dundonald ward councillor since 2010. He is the Conservative Environment Spokesman as well as Vice Chairman of the Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Panel.
He said: "I am very proud to be nominated to stand for the Conservative party for this important ppolitical post. I am very grateful to party supporters across both Merton and Wandsworth for putting their faith in me and I promise to repay them by playing a small part in improving their lives and this part of London."
September 17, 2015