FORMER Romsey MP, Sandra Gidley, is set to return to the political battleground – against the father of the Tory who defeated her at the General Election.

The Liberal Democrat is planning to contest the Romsey Extra ward held by Roy Perry, father of Caroline Nokes, in May’s county council election.

After a decade in parliament, Ms Gidley lost the Romsey and Southampton North seat to Ms Nokes in the 2010 General Election.

However, she said if she was successful in the county election, she would not be contesting the parliamentary seat.

She told the Advertiser: “They aren’t two jobs you can easily combine. That’s a promise I will make. If I win the seat, I will devote my entire energies to it for four years.”

She said 10 years in parliament had left her mentally and physically exhausted, because she had “put everything into it”.

“Although I miss politics, I have to think of my age – my children may decide to produce grandchildren,” she added Ms Gidley said she had been amazed by the number of people who had told her how much they had appreciated her hard work as an MP.

The Romsey town councillor, for Tadburn ward, said the chance to represent a county ward as varied as Romsey Extra represented a new challenge – it would be her first county council role.

“I have been a parish councillor, a borough councillor, an MP, but the county council work is interesting because they cover social care, public health, education,” she said.

“Most of my key interests and the things that brought me into politics are county council issues.”

She said she would “fight for people who are getting a rough deal where cuts are being made in the wrong area”.

Mrs Gidley said one of the big issues in Romsey Extra would be housing and she opposed the plans to build 1,500 homes at Lower Whitenap as part of Test Valley Borough Council’s Draft Core Strategy.

She added: “Some of the things being cut, like youth service under Mr Perry’s watch, the money that’s being cut from some of the children’s centres – these are the injustices that I will be campaigning on.”

The Romsey Extra division stretches from the Blackwater Ward of Wellow, Sherfield English and Awbridge, to Nursling and Rownhams and Chilworth, including the parish of Romsey Extra itself.

Her opponent, Mr Perry, has represented Romsey Extra on the county council since 2005, during which time he has been a member of the council executive, including a period as deputy leader and, since 2010, children’s services lead member.

He said he was ready to see off any challenge.

“As a democrat, I always value a good, clean electoral fight on issues and policies and I hope Mrs Gidley will keep it that way,” he said.

“As a town councillor for Romsey, she will need to understand that Romsey Extra Division, parts of which I have represented in one way or another since 1979, has needs and priorities that at times are quite different from those of Romsey town where she lives and serves as a town councillor.

“I wonder what her priorities would be, were she ever to be elected, if those aims came into conflict.”

He added that Hampshire under the Conservatives has a great record of good services and the lowest council tax in the south east region and will campaign on that record alongside his own personal record.

Ms Gidley responded that having been an MP representing Romsey and Romsey Extra for 10 years she was used to having an overall picture.

She added she did not think there would a conflict between what was good for rural and town areas in Romsey Extra and looked forward to a good clean fight.

Ms Gidley told of her plans to stand at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton, where she said she was happy party leader Nick Clegg had apologised over the tuition fees U-turn, but felt it had been a “fudge” because he had said sorry for promising to scrap them, not for voting in favour of an increase.

The former MP said she supported the coalition, although was unhappy when the Lib Dems supported “barking mad” policies like selling off the forests.

Asked whether Mr Clegg should lead the party into the next General Election she said: “Let’s be honest. It’s not an A+ all the way on the report card. But we have to balance that against what we have achieved, and we have to campaign on that.”