A LOCAL councillor has been chosen as the Liberal-Democrat parliamentary candidate for the Thirsk and Malton seat.

Di Keal has been at the forefront of local politics for more than a decade and serves on both Ryedale District Council and on Norton Town Council – where she has lived for more than 25 years.

Married with three daughters, she said she was delighted to have been chosen to fight for the seat at the next General Election.

“I have a track record in Ryedale for campaigning on issues that really matter to local people and I look forward to having the opportunity to do the same across the whole constituency,” she said.

"I want to demonstrate what the Liberal Democrats have done working from inside the coalition. Too often Liberal Democrat policies have been wrapped up in blue tape and passed off as Tory ideas.

We need to shout it from the rooftops just how much we have achieved that has a direct impact on the lives of hard pressed families.”

Mrs Keal is a former mayor of Norton and a former chairman of Ryedale District Council.