About the councillors

There are seven Liberal Democrat Councillors on Elmbridge Borough Council who work to achieve a greener, cleaner, fairer and safer community, while ensuring value for money from our council tax. Information on the Councillors from the Esher and Walton constituency is below and their contact details are in the 'Contact Us' section (which includes details on our Councillors in Weybridge).

Cllr Jimmy Cartwright (Claygate ward)

Cllr Cartwright is a Liberal Democrat Member and a Claygate Ward Councillor. He is also a member of Claygate Parish Council. He is a member of the East Area Planning Sub Committee, the Licensing and Gambling Committee and the Audit and Standards Committee. On the Parish Council he is a member of the Highways and Transportation Committee. Cllr Cartwright is now in his fifth year as a member of the Borough Council and was elected a member of the Parish Council when it was first started and for a year was Chairman.

His wife's family moved to Claygate in 1946 and they were married there in 1958. They moved back to Claygate in 1960 and after several moves within Claygate are now back in his wife's old family home in Hare Lane (where the banners are displayed).

Cllr Michael Courtney (Claygate ward)

Michael Courtney has been a local Elmbridge Borough Councillor, for Claygate, since 2003. He is a member of the East Area Planning Sub-committee, the Planning Committee and the Corporate Affairs Overview & Scrutiny Committee. He has been a trustee of the Foley Charity, a charity for Claygate youth, since 1978. He moved to Claygate in 1951, and was educated at Claygate Primary school, Surbiton Grammar and at Cambridge. As a Civil and Structural Engineer at Ove Arup & Partners he designed offices, banks, houses, shopping centres, and one important church. His only moment of fame was in the 1990s, as an expert on the effect of bomb damage on buildings, when he wrote papers, lectured at Conferences and even had a brief appearance on the ITN news. Since retirement he has been kept busy, for as well as his work on the Council he is treasurer of a national Christian Charity, a school governor and an expert handyman. Since 2003 he has painted, decorated and rebuilt kitchens not just for his wife but also for all his four children and their homes. He has 8 grandchildren.

Group Leader Cllr Barry Fairbank (Long Ditton ward)

Barry was elected to the Council in 2000 and re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He became Group leader in 2008. He is a member of the Corporate Affairs and Environmental Affairs Overview & Scrutiny Committees and also the Older People's Advisory Body.

He has served on many scrutiny panels and working groups, including those covering anti social behaviour; composting and recycling; financial reporting;customer service improvement and the Council's partnerships.

Barry has lived in Elmbridge for over 14 years. He is married with 2 sons. He spent most of his working life in the City starting in a merchant bank, Samuel Montagu and thereafter for a number of specialist organisations providing financial services. More recently he became self-employed specialising in investment related financial investigations and risk appraisals.

Barry is also involved with a number of local organisations namely Home-Start Elmbridge, Long Ditton Village Hall, Long Ditton Youth Project, Long Ditton Children's Centre and is a Governor at 2 Elmbridge schools, Long Ditton St Mary's Junior (as Chair of Governors) and Cranmere Primary, Weston Green.

Cllr Shweta Kapadia (Long Ditton ward)

Shweta Kapadia has been Councillor for Long Ditton, since 2000.

She is a member of, and previously Chairman and Vice Chairman of, Elmbridge's Planning Committee, and the East Area Planning Sub-Committee. She is the Council's Design and Heritage Champion She is on the Council's Affordable Housing Member Panel and on the Local Development Framework Group that is working on Elmbridge Planning Policy to 2026

Other current appointments:

Council appointed Board Member of the Elmbridge Housing Trust

Council Member, Arts Council England South East

Trustee, R C Sherriff Trust

She has served on the management committee of the Elmbridge Multi-Faith Forum and has been a school governor.

Shweta has lived in Long Ditton for the last 20 years. She was educated in India where she qualified as an architect and worked in the profession for many years. . She is also a reflexologist and did voluntary work in a reflexology clinic.

Her hobbies/interests include painting on China and Porcelain for which she has received several awards playing bridge, Western and Indian Classical music, and Art.

Cllr Steve Wells (Claygate ward)

Steve has lived in Claygate since 1984 and is a former Chair of Claygate Parish Council and Claygate Village Residents Association. During his three year stint as Chair of the Parish Council he was actively involved in a number of campaigns against threats to the Claygate community, including the now defunct proposal for a massive housing development around Claygate Station.

After a successful career in management consultancy, Steve is now reducing his workload and will be joined in semi-retirement later this year by his wife Linda who is a teacher at Esher Church School. Steve is a member of the Community Affairs Overview and Scrutiny Committee and a member of the Employee Advisory Group. He also serves on the Elmbridge Sports Council and Claygate Recreational Ground Trust.

Lib Dem Cllrs in Weybridge

Timothy Crowther and Miles Macleod are also Liberal Democrat Councillors on Elmbridge Borough Council. They represent the Weybridge North ward which falls into the Runnymede and Weybridge parliamentary constituency. Visit www.weybridgelibdems.org.uk