South Shropshire councillor Heather Kidd is in the running for an inaugural Countryside Alliance Political Award as the shortlist is revealed a week ahead of the winners’ reception.

Coun Kidd is the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats on South Shrop-shire District Council and is the prospective parliamentary candidate for Ludlow.

She has been active in taking a lead with campaigns on a number of rural issues in the area.

These have included affordable housing, where she wants to see more homes provided within the price range of people from south Shropshire.

Coun Kidd has campaigned for the preservation of rural post offices and for the retention of kiosk telephone boxes.

She has also been involved in efforts to improve rural bus services and in debates about the retention of small local schools.

The national Countryside Alliance Political Awards (CAPA), which run over three categories, are a new part of the annual Countryside Alliance scheme, now in its fourth year.

Designed to celebrate the people and communities of the countryside through the characters who live, work and fight for it, the CAPA applaud those who keep rural issues on the political stage and work hard for the countryside’s future.

The award winner is being announced at a reception being staged in the House of Lords. Heather is up against a councillor from Torridge in Devon and the Mayor of Stroud, in Gloucestershire.