Claudia Riley-Hards is a Conservative campaigner in  Long Ditton, where she lives with her husband and son.

Claudia was born in British Guyana and has been living in the UK for 40 years. She has been a Long Ditton resident for the last two decades and advises councils on economic development and regeneration for a living. If elected a Conservative councillor on 3 May she is keen to play a role in making the local authority more efficient and prosperous. She holds a degree in Business Studies and a Masters in Marketing.

She is conscious that the Liberal Democrats, who ran Elmbridge Council with the Residents' Associations Group from 2016-18, had floated the idea of building thousands of homes in the green belt, including on land near Squires nursery in Long Ditton. Claudia comments: “It was a fantastic response and caused the administration to think again, although I note they have not ruled out sacrificing our precious Green Belt. If I am elected I will strongly defend the Green Belt. The need for new houses has not gone away. I will argue for building on brownfield sites and for increased density in our town centres.

Claudia will also campaign for more school places for local children and will support shops and businesses as the lifeblood of our community. She will actively lobby for grants and other help for them to thrive. Claudia first stood for election in 2018, coming within 8 votes of gaining the seat from the LibDems.