Lib Dem explains why he's standing for both council and Parliament

Liberal Democrat Nick Love said he wanted to clarify misconceptions after being asked at both hustings and on the doorstep why he was a General Election candidate for the York Central seat and also a candidate for the Guildhall ward on City of York Council.

He claimed voters felt their MPs were remote and detached from local issues partly because of a disconnect between local and national politics, in that MPs spent too much time in Westminster and were not nearly well enough informed about local issues, as they had no interaction with local politics.

"This is not right," he said. "Unlike the European Parliament where MEPs are elected from a shortlist to represent a region, MPs are specifically elected to represent a place or city - in this case York - and yet spend more time in Westminster voting on issues of a national nature.

"This seems ironic, as they have minimal influence in Parliament, as an individual amongst 650 MPs, and yet can make a huge difference as an ambassador for, say York, helping contribute to its success as a leading UK city."

He claimed that to know in detail the issues affecting local residents, MPs needed to be close to them. "What better way than being a councillor as well as an MP? It gives you a greater stake and more say in what goes on," he said.

"This is normal in several European countries, where MPs have a seat on a local authority board, and it used to be more prevalent in the UK, where nearly 30 per cent of MPs used to be councillors.

"As an MP and councillor, I would spend more time in my York constituency than Westminster - which I know can be done, as several other MPs I know have done this successfully.

"With a constituency office you can also effectively deal with local residents issues on both a ward and parliamentary basis and combine local and parliamentary surgeries."

He added that he would not take his councillor allowance if he was also an MP, saving the council money.