TOM Wells, district and county councillor for Callow End, has been selected as the Liberal Democrat's prospective parliamentary candidate for West Worcestershire.

The 43-year-old Hereford United supporter, schooled in Malvern and Worcester, is set to stand against Conservative MP Sir Michael Spicer in the next General Election.

Previously a primary teacher at Malvern's Hillstone School, where he taught Big Brother contestant Tim Culley, Coun Wells has been a Malvern Hills district councillor for the Powyke ward since 1995 and a Worcestershire county councillor for Powick for five years. He has been leader of county council's Lib Dems since 1999.

In the selection process to replace previous Lib Dem candidate Mike Hadley, who has moved to Guernsey, Coun Wells was chosen from a shortlist of five candidates.

He said: "I've been encouraged by people to do this. Many would say this was the next step for me and I'm hoping I'll get the opportunity to speak up for local towns and villages."

Coun Wells said that his main issues were education, agriculture, the environment and health care.

He said: "In information coming from Westminster last week the deferential in schools funding remains and the question is how Worcestershire schools are any less needy than counterparts in Herefordshire and Warwickshire. "Funding is £100 per pupil per year less here and I think it's scandalous. We were promised a new education formula but the indication is that we'll remain where we are on the league table for funding - at the bottom."

He added: "Issues to do with dentistry and primary health care also concern me. My wife waited four months to see a specialist about a potentially serious problem and eventually went private and saw the same specialist she would have seen on the NHS.

"That put someone else further down the list and there's a moral issue there. This is not what the founders of the NHS had in mind."

Married to teacher Kathy, Coun Wells is also known locally as a piano teacher and composer and as a member of the Malvern Ramblers cricket club.