Paul Kennedy with Colin Cross (right)

From: Paul Kennedy

I am very sorry indeed that my old friend Colin Cross has decided to stand down as county councillor for The Horsleys.

I have always regarded Colin as a political kindred spirit: passionate, thoughtful and fundamentally liberal. Additionally, his local knowledge is second to none.

We worked hand in hand in the Lovelace by-election in 2014, which Colin (who I had persuaded to stand) won by a landslide (see: Lib Dems Win Lovelace Ward in a By-Election Landslide from Fractured Tories).

And the county council elections in 2017 when Colin and Liz Hogger, in turn, helped me achieve 38 per cent of the vote in The Horsleys, paving the way for Colin’s later win.

We also worked closely together on local campaigns, in particular opposing the Conservatives’ Local Plan, the Wisley development, and the appalling decision to close Ripley School.

Even after he joined R4GV [Residents for Guildford & Villages], Colin continued to support me personally, for example in Parliamentary campaigns including the 2019 general election. And I was personally delighted when he won The Horsleys county seat in 2021.

Colin will be a hard act to follow.