TIM Farron believes his new role as president of the Liberal Democrats will allow him to put Westmorland on the map and help him fight local issues.

The Westmorland and Lonsdale MP was elected party president at the weekend and has vowed to continue to be the voice for Westmorland in parliament.

Mr Farron, MP since 2005, received 14,593 votes from party members, beating a strong oppo-nent in the former MP for Richmond-upon-Thames, Susan Kramer, who polled 12,950 votes.

He will now chair the party’s federal executive committee and represent the membership’s views to the Lib Dem leadership.

The 41-year-old, who lives in Milnthorpe, said: “Obviously I’m delighted as it now means I have more influence in bringing about issues in Westmorland to Westminster.

“Some of the roles I undertook in Parliament, I will now relin-quish, meaning I will be dealing directly with ministers, which can only serve to help in putting Westmorland on the map.

“While I was delighted to become president, my major motivation, as it has always been, is to represent my constituency and I will continue to be Westmorland’s man in Westminster, rather than the other way round.”

Mr Farron – who is married with four children – takes up his new role in January and he is looking forward to having more influence and access to ministers when putting across the views of people in South Lakeland.

He said: “The new role will allow me to raise important issues in Westmorland, for example moun-tain rescue and hospital fund-ing, so it can only be of benefit to the area.

“I would also like to thank every-body in Westmorland who help-ed me along the way as I wouldn’t have got there without them.”

Mr Farron was backed for the role by the majority of the party’s younger members, and he was previously the Liberal Democrat youth spokesman Speaking last week, after students clashed with police in London during a demonstration against Government plans to increase university tuition fees in England to up to £9,000 a year, Mr Farron said it was “right that students should protest”.

“I was a student activist... and I went on plenty of marches and it was always the case that a hand-ful of people would break off and do something daft – sometimes really quite dangerously daft.

“I don’t want to be flippant, but it’s part of being a student that you should get out on the streets and make your voice heard.”