A former Sheriff of Canterbury and university worker has been selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Canterbury in the next General Election.
Louise Harvey-Quirke has lived in the area since 1993, working and studying locally also. Mum to two daughters, with one granddaughter, she is a senior co-ordinator at Canterbury Christ Church University. She is also studying for a chartered management degree at the university.
Louise, 45, was confirmed as the candidate after a meeting of members of Canterbury Constituency Conservative Association last night (Thursday, 21 March).
She said: “I am immensely proud to be selected as the parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in Canterbury.
“Firstly, I want to thank my fellow prospective candidates for their support and camaraderie throughout the evening, and I wish them both all the best for the future.
“As a local person, I am keen to get stuck in and champion the local issues that matter to us. I will be working on the Local Plan consultation, to see how best I can represent local people through this process; particularly in relation to the proposed workplace parking charges, that are going to hit hardworking local people and businesses in the pocket.
“I will also be focussed on safeguarding our rural areas for future generations and protecting our farmland and food supplies.
“As a student and university staff member, I am passionate about the potential of the thousands who choose our city for their studies each year and want to work with all our education providers on how we can harness that talent to benefit our district.
“Finally, I am keen to speak to our coastal communities to ensure we can harness the benefits of tourism without destroying the rental market for local people with a proliferation of second homes and Air B&Bs.”
Louise’s father was a member of the Royal Marines Band Service; she attended Frank Montgomery School in Hersden and entered into an apprenticeship at the age of 16 until she was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1996.
In 2019, she was elected to Canterbury City Council, after serving as a parish councillor for Sturry for several years. She was Sheriff of Canterbury from May 2022 to May 2023.
Louise married her husband, a detective with Kent Police, in 2018, after raising her girls as a single parent.
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