Gareth Epps

Gareth Epps lives near the Royal Berkshire Hospital in the heart of Reading. He works for a major infrastructure project, specialising in community consultation. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate in the General Election for Reading East in 2010, finishing in a clear second place – the best result for Liberals in a General Election in Reading for decades and the first second place since 1983.

Born and brought up in the Cotswolds, Gareth worked for the Liberal Democrats and then as a freelance for six years before joining a Reading-based public relations company in 2002.

Gareth first joined the Liberal Democrats in 1992 and became active as a response to the then Conservative Government’s attacks on civil liberties. He stood against David Cameron in Witney in 2001, increasing the Lib Dem share of the vote. In 2007 he won the formerly safe Labour ward of Katesgrove on Reading Borough Council on a huge swing. He was Leader and also Environment and Communities and Neighbourhoods shadow of the Liberal Democrat Group on Reading Borough Council. Gareth stood down from the Council in May 2011 in order to ‘spend more time on politics.’. This seems to have amply succeeded: he is now co-Chair of the Social Liberal Forum (see Links) and is a member of the Federal Policy Committee and Federal Conference Committee of the Lib Dems.

Campaigns led by Gareth notably include the successful campaign to stop the Labour Council turning Reading’s inner ring road one-way.

He has also led campaigns on recycling, local policing, housing and Post Offices. He formerly served on the Executive of Reading Council for Racial Equality and the Boards of Reading Voluntary Action and Groundwork Thames Valley.

Gareth has served at just about every level within the Liberal Democrats in the last ten years, and was involved with the process for the 2001 and 2005 General Election manifestos. His key policy interests include transport, international affairs and the environment. He has argued from his time on the Lib Dem Youth & Students’ executive that university tuition fees and, more lately, top-up fees should be axed.

Gareth is co-Chair of the Council of the Social Liberal Forum and a member of the Liberator Collective.