Charlotte FitzGerald is a local mum and District Councillor for Budleigh & Raleigh
Charlotte is a local district councillor and working mother of two who lives in Exmouth & Exeter East. Raised in rural Cambridgeshire, she studied at the University of Leeds before spending three years working abroad in emerging markets. Since moving to Devon, Charlotte has built a career in healthcare innovation while re-engaging with local politics. Since her election to East Devon District Council in 2023, she has worked tirelessly to support thriving local communities, protect nature, and tackle climate change.
Charlotte’s decades of experience in international trade and business across the world has deeply influenced her political views. Having seen how communities and people suffer under both authoritarian rule and government failure, and flourish when supported to achieve their potential through innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, Charlotte has a strong belief in the importance of giving everyone the ability to make the best of opportunities in a free and fair society.
Through her work in communities for a FTSE 100 company, Charlotte learned how to bring diverse groups of people together to achieve common goals. From supporting and protecting local libraries to backing community public health projects, Charlotte has used her knowledge of the worlds of government, business, and civil society to deliver the best outcomes for local residents.
Frustrated by years of Conservative complacency and neglect of areas like Exmouth & Exeter East, Charlotte is championing a fairer deal for local residents. She is campaigning for an end to overstretched local health services, upgraded local infrastructure and transport links, and stronger educational and employment opportunities that our area urgently needs.
Charlotte is committed to protecting local health services by tackling the crisis in social care. By expanding community care options and ensuring vulnerable residents receive reliable support at home, we can free up hospital beds, reduce emergency department wait times, and get our local health services working for everyone.
Charlotte is also deeply alarmed by the government’s continuing failure to tackle Devon’s dental deserts and improve capacity in overstretched local GP practices. She wants to see real investment to step up government-supported training programmes for dentists and GPs, with changes to how those services are funded to make sure they can deliver the vital dental and GP appointments local people desperately need.
As an active local councillor, Charlotte has led the charge against illegal sewage discharges into local rivers and coastal waters, and together with the local Lib Dem team is continuing to push South West Water to deliver infrastructure upgrades before new homes are delivered. Unlike the Conservatives, who in government gave water companies over two decades to deliver real change, Charlotte is demanding strict and rapid enforcement, new tough penalties for polluting executives, and urgent infrastructure upgrades to safeguard local health, tourism, and wildlife.
Deeply concerned too by the Conservative Party’s abandonment of its Net Zero pledge during the hottest summer on record, and on its walking back of other environmental commitments, Charlotte believes climate action goes hand in hand with economic security and long-term stability. Having returned to her roots living in a rural farming community, she strongly supports Devon’s family farms, highlighting the essential role of sustainable farming in securing our local food supply and protecting the countryside.
As a local resident, Charlotte knows that rising energy bills, food costs, and housing pressures are hitting households across Exmouth & Exeter East hard. Charlotte is backing Liberal Democrat plans to ease financial strain on working families through targeted energy efficiency schemes and government support to lower costs for essential energy use, stronger support for local family farms to stabilise food prices, and investment in well-paid, sustainable local jobs to help put more money back into communities.
As a mentor to many students and professionals throughout her career, Charlotte wants to see the residents of EEE thrive in their studying and working lives. Having worked on the development of a world-leading science park in Cambridge, she is determined to make the most of Exeter’s scientific, aviation, meteorological and other technical opportunities, especially by making apprentice schemes work for technical roles.
Councillor and local Lib Dem candidate Charlotte FitzGerald has praised Devon's Lib Dem leadership for putting children's safety first in securing a pause in Local Government Reorganisation
Cllr Charlotte FitzGerald has strongly criticised the local Conservative MP for planning a public meeting on the Exmo_20 development while failing to make clear to participants that he received a £5,000 donation from the site's developer
Local campaigner Charlotte FitzGerald and the Exmouth Liberal Democrat team have launched an urgent community campaign and petition calling on Post Office Ltd to protect essential postal, banking, and government services in Exmouth
Charlotte FitzGerald has warned the Prime Minister and Andy Burnham that their devolution vision risks creating a left-behind Britain, pitting community against community as winners and losers
Charlotte FitzGerald will be Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Exmouth & Exeter East
