Chelsea Whyte, the Liberal Democrat candidate, is a 27 year old public affairs and communications consultant.

What’s your connection to Slough, or why do you want to represent Slough? I grew up near Slough and went to the University of Reading. I know the issues faced by commuter towns like Slough and since being selected as the Parliamentary Candidate I have been campaigning across the town, meeting residents from all walks of life.

What are the three biggest challenges facing Slough? The cost of living and housing. People across Slough have felt the impact of increasing costs of rents and mortgages, utility bills, food, and more. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to:

Extend the free school meals scheme to more children in primary and secondary schools.

Build 150,000 new social homes every year.

Invest in infrastructure and job creation to boost our economy.

The NHS and social care. Our health and social care systems have broken. People are struggling to get GP and dentist appointments, for example, in parts of Cippenham and Langley, and the cost of care for the elderly is unaffordable for most people. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to:

Give everyone the right to see a GP within a week.

Secure long-term sustainable funding for social care.

Put a mental health professional in every school.

The environment. According to the Environment Agency, Thames Water discharged sewage almost 17,000 times in 2023. This puts people’s health at risk and threatens the biodiversity of our waterways. Our green spaces are a great asset to our local communities, but they face constant threat from developers who want to build on them. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to:

Stop sewage dumping by transforming water companies and replacing Ofwat with a new regulator.

Plant at least 60 million trees a year.

Invest in renewables so 90% of energy is generated by renewables by 2030.

What issues are you campaigning on, and what causes will you be championing if elected? In addition to those above, I am also campaigning for:

A free and independent Palestine, something which I know many people in Slough feel passionately about. The horrendous attacks of October 7th, and those that have followed, have sent shockwaves across the globe and senior UK politicians have not done enough to bring this conflict to an end. Too many innocent lives have been lost. The Liberal Democrats, nationally and in Slough, have been campaigning for an immediate ceasefire since October 2023, at a time when other political parties refused to do so.

Fixing our broken democracy. As the political landscape continues to shift in the UK, many people are frustrated at the lack of influence they can have when voting in elections. Under our existing First Past the Post electoral system, many votes are wasted and not enough voices are heard. The Liberal Democrats want to see a proportional system of voting in which everyone feels like their vote matters.

A closer relationship with Europe. We are only just beginning to feel the impact of leaving the EU, but there can be no doubt that being outside the EU has increased the cost of living and made life harder across the UK, including for companies in Slough Trading Estate. The Liberal Democrats are campaigning to rejoin the Single Market and remove as many trade barriers as possible to put money back in people’s pockets and support British businesses.

How will you help struggling high streets and town centres? The Liberal Democrats are committed to supporting our local communities, including by abolishing business rates and replacing them with a Commercial Landowner Levy to help our high streets.

How can you help make sure people can afford to live here while protecting our green spaces and countryside from development? Slough Lib Dems have been campaigning for an introduction of the community infrastructure levy (CIL) which would ensure when planning permission was agreed, developers make larger contributions to invest in local infrastructure to ensure it keeps up with increasing populations.

The Liberal Democrats want to ensure community-led development of cities and towns using brownfield former industrial or commercial sites. We want to deliver a fair deal for renters by immediately banning no-fault evictions, making three-year tenancies the default, and creating a national register of licensed landlords. We will give local authorities the power to end Right to Buy. We will abolish residential leaseholds and cap ground rents to a nominal fee, so that everyone has control over their property.

How will you help councils struggling with their finances? Can you help them to deal with the special educational needs crisis? Will you want the government to continue the Household Support Grant? I attended the Liberal Democrats party conference in March and supported the successful motion to close the £4bn gap in local government funding, including placing a focus on establishing a long-term funding plan for social care. We have also campaigned for greater powers to be devolved to local authorities and away from central government so the people who know communities best can govern them.

We would tackle the crisis in special educational needs provision, and help to end the postcode lottery in provision, by:

Giving local authorities extra funding to reduce the amount that schools pay towards the cost of a child’s Education, Health and Care Plan.

Establishing a new National Body for SEND to fund support for children with very high needs.

The cost-of-living crisis has caused huge financial hardship across the country and restricted the life chances of millions. The Government response has been a series of patchy and short-term fixes. We believe in supporting those most in need in ways that actually enable them to better their lives. Short-term, continuing the Household Support Grant will enable people to continue paying for their essential bills.

What car do you drive (do you drive)? Volkswagen

What's your favourite film or TV show? At the moment, Bridgerton

When was the last time you cried? When I watched Ed Davey’s party political broadcast speaking about caring for his parents and son, his experience as a carer is something I think most people can relate to.

Have you ever taken illegal drugs? No.