Brent’s Liberal Democrats have pledged to fight back in next month’s local election after severe losses in 2014.

Former councillors Alison Hopkins and Paul Lorber are two of the well known names who lost their seats four years ago but are standing again on May 3 with a pledge to defend and support people in Brent and hold the council to scrutiny.

The Lib Dems lost 15 seats out of 16 four years ago – and, since Cllr Helen Carr defected to stand as an independent in Willesden Green in 2016, they have none.

High on the agenda of 52 candidates standing this time round is to be a thorn in the side of the sitting Labour council, piling on pressure to sort out potholes in the borough and challenging council officers to justify their spending.

Ms Hopkins, who hopes to return as ward representative for Dollis Hill, said: “Local elections are about local issues and how each and every person living in Brent is impacted and affected by the decisions made by a small group of people.

“It’s important that we challenge and scrutinise the Labour Party decisions.

“We simply will not allow them to get away with focusing on the Wembley developers and vanity projects, to the detriment of the residents of Brent, who pay their council tax.”

As reported in the Times, former Lib Dem leader Mr Lorber, who is standing for Sudbury, exposed what he called the “utter scandal” of Brent Council giving back £17.8m of public community levy money to private developers Quintain to spruce up Wembley Park. And Ms Hopkins gathered troops to hand deliver more than 4,000 letters to people warning them of Barnet Council’s plans for a waste transfer station in Geron Way, in Cricklewood, and has been equally vocal about the rail freight plans in Edgware Road.

She added: “Brent Labour aren’t standing up for us and have agreed to awful changes to our road layouts that will mean yet more rat running cars and lorries on our residential roads.

“There is now no longer any effective scrutiny or challenge of decisions.

“It is vital for democracy that other voices are heard.

“Every single Liberal Democrat candidate who stands for election promises to listen, work hard and be there for local people.

“That’s our manifesto, our promise and our pledge.”