The Liberal Democrats have selected their candidate to contest Chipping Barnet in the General Election.

Marisha Ray, a former councillor in Islington from 2002 to 2010, will represent the party on May 7.

The mother-of-one has served on governing bodies for schools and hospitals, including City University, Sadlers Wells Theatre and the Whittington Hospital.

She said: “I fully support the Liberal Democrat policy to balance the budget by 2018, but to do this in a fair way that minimises cuts to welfare and public services, and asks those with the deepest pockets to make the biggest contribution.

“In contrast, the Tories would make much deeper cuts for ideological reasons and Labour would increase borrowing, putting the economy at risk.”

Speaking about Barnet’s libraries – an issue which her fellow Liberal Democrat candidates are campaigning on – she said: “The Tories bribed the voters with a one per cent council tax cut before the last local elections. They are now adopting a slash-and-burn policy towards our libraries to make up for the lost revenue.

“This combination of arrogance and incompetence is truly breathtaking.”

Other candidates standing in Chipping Barnet include incumbent Conservative MP Theresa Villiers, Amy Trevethan for Labour, AM Poppy for the Green Party and Victor Kaye for UKIP.