A FORMER Kendal mayor has been selected as the Labour party candidate to contest the Westmorland and Lonsdale seat at the 2015 General Election.

John Bateson, 60, of Oxenholme, will go up against sitting MP Tim Farron for the Lib Dems, Tory candidate Dr Ann Myatt, UKIP's Jonathan Marc Stanley, and the Greens' Dr Chris Loynes.

Mr Bateson was chosen at a Westmorland and Lonsdale Labour party meeting held at the Abbot Hall Social Centre on Wednesday night.

He served as Kendal Mayor between 2009-10 and was also a town councillor representing the Strickland ward on Kendal Town Council between 2006-10.

It is the second time he has stood for election as an MP having contested the seat for Labour in the 2001 election.

The seat was won by Tory MP Tim Collins with Mr Bateson in third with 5234 votes behind second place Tim Farron, but ahead of the UKIP candidate in fourth place and an Independent bringing up the rear.

Mr Bateson told the Gazette: "Obviously I'm very pleased and honoured to stand for Westmorland and Lonsdale - it's a tough fight for us here but I'm determined to put all of myself into the role and push as hard as we can."

Of regular claims by Mr Farron's electoral team that 'Labour can't win in Westmorland', Mr Bateson believes the fight will be much closer this time.

Mr Bateson believes disillusioned Lib Dem voters will not side with the party to the same extent they did in 2010 when Mr Farron secured a 11.1% swing from the Conservatives and won with a massive majority of 12,264

Mr Bateson added: "At the last election, the Liberal Democrats in Westmorland were the second highest election spenders in the whole of the country to get Tim Farron in - we can't do anything like that and don't have the financial reserves to do so, but there is a lot of dissatisfaction with the Lib Dems and the Coalition Government that they are part of.

"Attitudes towards the Lib Dems have changed - and at the last election they saw Labour voters voting for the Lib Dems tactically, well that isn't going to happen this time.

"People who voted Lib Dem last time won't necessarily do so in 2015 - even among those people who praise Tim as an individual."

Mr Bateson has experience as a full-time carer and also worked as a hospitality manager at the Royal Kings Arms Hotel in Lancaster.

Now semi-retired, he is an external examine for University courses and a registered teacher as well as advising a local charity.

Mr Bateson was born and bred locally and is a former pupil of Kendal Parish Church School and Kendal Grammar School.