Published: Saturday, 9th January, 2010 9:00am

Daisy Benson to fight general election

by Adam Hewitt

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Cllr Daisy Benson

LIB Dem councillor Daisy Benson has been selected to fight Reading West for the party.

At a hustings in Tilehurst last night, the Redlands ward councillor, who chairs the borough council's housing, health and community care scrutiny panel, saw off competition from West Berkshire Cllr Tony Vickers and former Thatcham mayor Alex Payton to win the selection.

She now has just months to campaign ahead of the general election, which must be held in the first half of this year.

She said she was "delighted", adding: "I won't let you down."

She has lived in Reading since 2003 and was first elected as a councillor in Redlands ward in May 2006, so is up for re-election to the council as well this year. She is also involved in a number of police- and crime-related forums in south Reading.

The party's former Lib Dem parliamentary hopeful in the seat, Oxford councillor Patrick Murray, quit in the autumn.

Labour MP Martin Salter is standing down at the next election.

The other candidates are:

Conservative - Alok Sharma

Labour - Naz Sarkar

Green - Adrian Windisch

UKIP - Bruce Hay.

For more on this story, see next week's Reading Chronicle.