Meet the Dorking and Horley General Election 2024 given 100 words to sell themselves to you

Dorking and Horley is a new constituency for Surrey due to boundary changes but will be a familiar battleground for many. The former Mole Valley boundaries have been redrawn and the departure long-standing MP Sir Paul Beresford, first elected in 1997, has pollsters predicting the former Conservative safe seat is up for grabs.

Website Electoral Calculus has Dorking and Horley going to the Liberal Democrats at the July 4 General Election while Ipsos’ largest poll also says the new seat is likely to head that way - despite the Conservative’s having won in 2019 with a 19 per cent majority.

Ipsos suggests the Liberal Democrats will take the seat with 41 per cent of the votes to the Conservatives 30. At local level the council has shifted heavily towards the Liberal Democrats since 2019 when it took control of the local authority - with the party holding 31 of the 39 seats. Of the remaining councillors, six are informal independents and two are Conservative.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service gave every candidate 100 words - cut if they've gone over - to pitch why you should vote for them. The candidates are below, in alphabetical order by surname.

Nadia Burrell, Labour

Nadia says her focus is on improving public services and helping you with the cost-of-living crisis. She's local to the area, having been to both St Paul’s primary and The Ashcombe secondary schools, so will stand up for local residents.

She works as a mediator, whilst volunteering at a foodbank. At this election, we’re choosing the next government. Voters can choose a Labour MP who will speak up for you and who the next government will listen to.

Nadia will work to protect your family’s finances, cut sky-high waiting times at East Surrey Hospital, and help you feel safer in your neighbourhood.

Chris Coghlan, Liberal Democrats

Chris Coghlan grew up here and lives in Dorking with his wife and three little girls. He spent a decade in the city before founding a social enterprise and joining the Foreign Office. He was a reservist soldier and fought ISIS in Iraq.

Marisa Heath, Conservative

A Surrey County councillor since 2006, Marisa Heath has led on flood alleviation schemes, traffic congestion solutions, aircraft noise alleviation, and town regeneration.

She’s been a Looked After Children's Champion, Surrey Fostering Panel member, and a school Governor. Running her own business, she leads organisations and charities to change legislation.

Her political career began in defence, and she has a strong background in sustainability, conservation and protecting the countryside. She has secured millions for rural small businesses and is a leading advocate for animal welfare. Marisa enjoys reading and has a supportive partner, young daughter, and two rescue dogs.

Lisa Claire Scott, Green

I have been working for our community for a decade. I'm a scientist, project manager, home retrofit and renewable energy expert, mother, dog owner, NHS volunteer. I have lived in Mole Valley for 20 years and raised my daughter here single handedly.

Primarily, I believe in fairness.I have first hand knowledge of what puts our community under pressure. Like inappropriate new housing meaning our sewage works overflow, lack of hospital, GP and dentist capacity, not to mention potholes.

I have been at the forefront of fighting Green Belt house building, Gatwick Airport expansion and flooding – exposing the dumping of raw sewage onto public areas.

Craig Young, Reform

I want to change Government and want to make a positive contribution to Dorking and Horley constituency. We will freeze non-essential immigration, reduce the high taxation (no tax on the first £20k of earned income), and reduce government expenditure and wastage by cutting 5p in every pound.

We will fight for the small and medium sized businesses in the high street by scrapping business rates for high street based SMEs and offset this with an online delivery tax at 4 per cent.

We would also reduce corporation tax and lift the threshold for paying corporation tax to £100,000 and lift the VAT threshold to £150,000.

For more news about the general election in Surrey, visit our page here.