Who is Woking's new MP? Will Forster will "put residents first" and wants to see more government support for councils
Will Forster sat down for an interview with Greatest Hits Radio Surrey and East Hampshire
In the early hours of the 5th July, news began to filter through that the makeup of local politics in Surrey was significantly changing.
The county had previously been made up of 11 Conservative seats. With boundary changes, 12 Surrey seats would be contested in the 2024 General Election.
Traditionally, Surrey could have been considered part of the Blue Wall, with many seats such as Woking and Surrey Heath being long-term Conservative strongholds.
Yet, the Liberal Democrats made inroads into the county, with 6 Lib Dems gaining seats, splitting Surrey in half with the Conservatives in terms of Westminster representation.
One of those MPs to win a seat was Will Forster, a long-time Liberal Democrat councillor, who defeated Conservative MP Jonathan Lord by over 10,000 votes. Mr Lord had been the MP for Woking since 2010.
Mr Forster is also the first non-Conservative MP to represent Woking, since the constituency's creation in 1950.
The seat was first held by Harold Watkinson, who was the town's MP for 14 years. He was succeeded by Sir Cranley Onslow who served as a Minister of State in Margaret Thatcher's government, and chaired the 1922 committee, the parliamentary group of Conservative backbenchers that can play an important role in choosing the party leader.
Sir Cranley Onslow served as MP for the town for 33 years until 1997, and was replaced by Humfrey Malins, who held the position until 2010 before being succeeded by Jonathan Lord.
"I'm absolutely delighted that the people of Woking elected me as Woking's first Liberal Democrat MP." Said Will Forster, speaking to Greatest Hits Radio Surrey and East Hampshire. "I was born and bred in this area and it's a privilege and an honour of my life to be MP for my home town.
"The Lib Dems have won in Woking for the first time ever but we've also smashed through the Blue Wall in Surrey."
Mr Forster added that he celebrated by "going to bed" because of the result being declared so early in the morning, but did have a party in Woking with friends, family and volunteers within his local campaign.
Four Main Priorities as MP - "boring" councils and quick GP appointments
Government support for Woking Borough Council, fixing the NHS, cutting the cost of living and protecting the environment are the four headline priorities of the recently elected Woking MP.
Woking Borough Council has had well-documented financial issues, and suspended all spending for non-essential services with a Section 114 notice last year.
Will Forster is keen to lobby the government to support the council in its debt, whilst also aiming to help other councils in similar financial situations.
"Councils should be boring. They shouldn't be in £2 billion pounds worth of debt. They shouldn't be lending money out to organisations."
The 37-year-old also said that councils need more money, and the way they raise capital needs to be changed.
"Councils need to be funded properly. The government expected councils not to cut services or raise tax, but by going out and borrowing money commercially. That has gone spectacularly wrong in Woking and elsewhere.
"It's a false economy to cut council funding like the previous government has done. I will be pressuring the new government to ensure that they properly fund local authorities."
He added that he will work closely with Woking Borough Council and their Liberal Democrat leader Anne-Marie Barker, saying he and the council will be a "strong voice collectively to stand up for Woking in Parliament" but added that he is not afraid to "hold Anne-Marie and my colleagues to account" if he thinks there is an issue locally.
Mr Forster also said "the whole health system is really struggling" adding that residents in Woking "can't get the appointments they need".
"Liberal Democrats want to invest in our GPs and recruit more of them, so that in a week someone can see their GP, not just a GP, and in 24 hours we want them to be able to see their GP in an emergency."
Mr Forster said that he wants to lobby the government for financial support for the town because he doesn't want to see a "council tax rise after council tax rise that goes way above inflation" for Woking's residents.
He also added that he is hoping to meet local water provider Thames Water soon, along with other Surrey MPs.
Who is Will Forster? He came "from quite tough beginnings" and was inspired by ex Liberal Democrat leaders Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy
Mr Forster was elected as a councillor for the first time fifteen years ago and has spent a large part of his life in both Woking and Surrey politics.
"If you fail anyone you shouldn't be failing vulnerable young people"
He served as a councillor in 2009 for Woking South on Surrey County Council.
"I stood because Surrey County Council was failing vulnerable young people... Surrey was regarded as the worst county council in the county because of that services."
"I come from not a traditional political background. I come from quite tough beginnings, I was on the child protection register as a child and I found that appalling that the County Council was treating children like that. I didn't want what had happened to me to happen to other people.
"If you fail anyone you shouldn't be failing vulnerable young people - and that's why I stood."
Mr Forster went on to be elected onto Woking Borough Council in 2011, and also served as the town's Mayor between 2018 and 2019. He was also the Deputy Leader of Woking Borough Council.
The new MP had stood to become Woking's MP twice before his victory, in 2017 and 2019.
He said supporting vulnerable young people remains a "key priority" for him as an MP.
"We're a huge chunk of the chamber now"
Mr Forster also explained that two former party leaders served as inspirations to him.
"Just before I was elected, we had two amazing party leaders who were amazing ambassadors for the Liberal cause. Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy. What I was delighted with this election result is the Lib Dems won both their seats back, and that was amazing. So we won seats for the first time like Woking, but we've won our old traditional Liberal seats, and I'm sure Paddy and Charles would have been delighted with that."
National result "clearly shows" that party's past is behind them
The 2024 election was history-making for the Liberal Democrats. Alongside making significant, unprecedented gains across Surrey, Ed Davey's party won their most seats ever in this election, ten more than their previous record of 62 set in 2005 under Charles Kennedy's leadership.
Yet the party has endured a difficult period over the last decade, with their performance in the 2015 election often highlighted, when the party lost 49 seats after the coalition government.
Will Forster said that the most recent election emphasises that their past struggles are behind them.
"This result clearly shows that we've put that behind us. But we've put years of treading water as the Liberal Democrats and the Liberals behind us as well. There were times where we consistently got six or ten MPS. We've now got 72. I have sat on the green benches since being elected. We're a huge chunk of the chamber now."
Mr Forster added that the national Conservative Party look like a "spent force" and "broken", adding that his party will be the one "stepping up to the plate" and "holding Labour to account"
Mr Forster rejects idea of "protest vote" helping Lib Dems and says the party will be "critical friend" to Labour
When asked whether the Liberal Democrats' success in Surrey was motivated more by a protest vote against the Conservatives, rather than an ideological swing towards the centre-left party, Will Forster said people in Woking "really agree with the Liberal Democrats on the key issues."
"The Liberal Democrats have got 72 MPs in Parliament, that is about half what the Conservative Party has. It has never been that close before, I don't think you can call that a protest vote.
"I think people are very annoyed with the Conservatives but they really agree with the Liberal Democrats on the key issues, but also our values and our liberal traditions."
Mr Forster suggested that in the national picture, the Liberal Democrats will be a "critical friend" to Labour and Keir Starmer and will hold them to account in a "positive and constructive manner." He also said that the Conservatives are "not really ready" to be an opposition party nationally.
Reform enjoyed some success nationally, gaining four MPs across the UK, and in Woking they finished third in the election, above Labour, with Reform's Richard Barker getting over 400 more votes than the Labour candidate Ese Erheriene.
However, Will Forster appeared to not be too concerned by the Reform's showing in the local election.
"Reform in Woking got about 10% of the vote, which is a very small amount. I met very few Reform voters. Woking is clearly a Liberal Democrat town and people share our Liberal Democrat values.
What will Woking look like in five years?
Mr Forster told us that he wants Woking residents to be proud of their town, and gave us an indication into what he'd like the Surrey town to be like when the next election comes around.
"I hope my now constituents of Woking will be really proud of the town that they live in, of our community spirit and our pride because they will have had an MP that has stood up for them for the last five years in Parliament."
"I will put Woking residents first. I will be active, I will hold regular surgeries, and they'll say 'that MP, he works hard for us, he stands up for what's in our interests and he's got the beliefs that align with what Woking residents want as well' "