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St Albans Liberal DemocratsWorking for St Albans all year round |
Meet Sandy Walkington
Parliamentary Spokesperson for St Albans
About Sandy
Sandy and his family have lived in or near St Albans since 1980, apart from a brief period spent in New York in the early 1990s. He and his wife Francesca, a local architect, were married in St Albans Abbey, and their three children have all attended Hertfordshire state schools.
Sandy studied Economics and Law at Cambridge University, and in his spare time he worked as a crane operator, nightwatchman and farm labourer, giving him first-hand experience of life at the sharp end of the wedge.
Sandy now works as a freelance communications consultant to give him time to campaign for local residents on local issues.
He shares his wife's passion for architecture, and also enjoys walking and cycling in the Hertfordshire countryside and spending time with his children.
Sandy's Experience
Sandy first joined the Liberal Party in 1973 when he was a student, and began his political career as Head of Research for the Liberal Party in Westminster, writing speeches and briefs for the frontbench team.
He came to St Albans in 1980, and was the Liberal/SDP Alliance candidate for St Albans in the 1983 and 1987 elections, polling more votes than Mrs Thatcher in 1983.
As a city councillor for St Albans between 1984 and 1991, he chaired the committee which relaunched the St Albans Festival and which handled the council's involvement with local voluntary groups. He also helped achieve residents' parking for city centre residents after a long fought campaign.
As the Manager for External Affairs at Texaco, Sandy was responsible for the company's relationship with the UK government. He continued with this responsibility when he moved to BT to become Director of Public Affairs, during which time he also oversaw the company's massive corporate social responsibility programme. Later as Director of Public Affairs for Transport for London, he gained valuable insight into the public sector and an understanding of the importance of good public transport.
His time commuting to London from St Albans has also given Sandy first-hand knowledge of the daily travel frustrations that face so many of the area's residents.
In 2005 Sandy was given the opportunity to combine his corporate expertise with his passion for politics when he managed the Liberal Democrats' media relations. In a role which involved advising Charles Kennedy and the rest of the Liberal Democrat front bench team, he contributed to the most successful Liberal/Liberal Democrat performance since 1923.
Sandy's vision for St Albans
After many years living in the centre of St Albans Sandy and his family now live in one of the nearby villages. He has a deep-felt understanding both of the city and of the need to preserve the green belt and rural character of the surrounding communities.
As a Liberal Democrat, Sandy has always been passionate about local politics, and believes that local people are the best judges of their own needs.
He has campaigned to save St Albans's Post Offices, to improve local health services and set up the Hands Off Herts campaign to fight the destruction of our Green Belt.
Sandy has belonged to several environmental groups since he was at university, and believes in practising what he preaches. An avid cyclist, he believes that far more can be done locally, as well as nationally, to tackle global climate change, and he supports the council's efforts to increase the amount of waste that St Albans recycles.
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