A former UCLan student is to stand in the upcoming County elections.
John Potter, who graduated from UCLan in 2004, will stand as a Liberal Democrats candidate for the Preston Central South District in the elections on 4th June.
John, who is currently Chair of the Preston Liberal Democrats, will stand for the district against candidates from the Labour and Conservatives parties as well as candidates from smaller groups.
The Central South district for which he will stand includes the University Wards as well as the St George’s area of the city centre and Tulketh.
John got involved with the party after searching to add purpose to his life beyond his 9 -5 job as Head of Audio Visual Production for a nationwide catalogue company.
John said: “I had always had a passion for liberalism and its inherent virtues of fairness, equality and freedom of choice.”
“I quickly threw myself into helping the Preston Liberal Democrats in the campaigns across the city. I found it incredibly rewarding helping residents with local issues,” he added.
He says that most of the students in Preston are overlooked when it comes to voting as the election takes place in the summer months.
After graduating from UCLan himself, with a degree in Audio Video Media with Journalism, he wants to get students more involved in the city’s future.
He said: “As your next county councillor I would set up regular meetings with student representatives alongside community leaders to make sure both are given a voice in the running and future of Preston.”
“Students would represent a significant proportion of potential voters who would not be as ignored as I believe they are now,” he added.
Born in Whitehaven, Cumbria, John believes that coming to UCLan to study was one of the most significant decisions of his life.
“I spent three of the best years at UCLan, so good was my time here as a student I decided to stay in Preston after I graduated in 2004,” he said.
