A legend in local politics and “a force of nature who did so much for Amersham”

by Alison Bailey March 2026

Vera Head, who devoted her life to local politics, died in January at the age of 97. A staunch Liberal Democrat, she served as a Chiltern District Councillor and an Amersham Town Councillor for more than 30 years. She was first elected to the Town Council in 1995 and only retired last year. Throughout her life she was committed to women’s rights and to getting women involved in politics and elected to parliament. Vera was inspired by pioneering women politicians such as Lady Vera Terrington, who was elected the Liberal MP for Wycombe in 1923.

Vera volunteered at the Liberal Party’s London headquarters for many years organising party conferences and campaigning in general elections. In 1990 she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to politics.

Vera Grace Medhurst

Vera Grace Medhurst was born in Bexley in Kent, 6 January 1929, the second of seven children. Her father Edgar was a gardener. In 1950 Vera married Elton George Goody in Willesden and the couple moved to Wembley where their two children were born but the marriage broke down and ended in divorce. Vera joined the Liberal Party in 1957, attracted by their pro-European stance. She joined the women’s section of the Liberal Party in 1962 and became chairman of the National Liberal Women’s Section in 1988. Vera’s second husband, Gordon Head, was also a committed Liberal Party member and campaigner. After their marriage in 1974, the couple moved to 13 Wood Lane Close off the White Lion Road at Amersham Common.

Both soon became involved in local politics and were committed to the town twinning movement. Gordon was treasurer of the Amersham-Bensheim Society until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1980, at the age of 57.

A Political Career

After her husband’s death Vera moved to Cherry Orchard in Amersham-on-the-Hill, worked for the Chesham and Amersham Liberal Association and stood in both district and county elections. She was a gifted public speaker and worked as an agent in several general elections. She secured successes for Liz Lynne in Rochdale in 1992 and Jackie Ballard in Taunton in 1997. She led the campaign for Sal Brinton, now Baroness Brinton, and later President of the Liberal Democrats, when she stood for Watford in the general elections of 2005 and 2010. 

Vera was first elected as a councillor on Amersham Town Council in 1995 and Chiltern District Council in 1999. She remained a councillor in Amersham until the May 2025 local elections when she finally retired at the age of 96.

Vera was delighted when Sarah Green made history for the Liberal Democrats when she was elected in the former safe Tory seat of Chesham and Amersham after the death of Cheryl Gillan triggered a by-election in 2021. She was even more delighted when Sarah Green retained the seat in the 2024 general election, and that her party took complete control of Amersham Town Council in 2025.

A dedicated worker, Vera chaired numerous local and national committees throughout her political career. In 1990 fellow Social and Liberal Democrat County Councillor, Pam Crawford was quoted as saying “If there is a by-election in a 50-mile radius, Vera will be there running a committee room. Whatever needs doing, Vera will do it”.

Vera supported other national campaigns and was a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Dignity in Dying, which advocates for greater control over end-of-life decisions and Unlock Democracy, a non-partisan organisation that fights for a fairer, more inclusive and accountable political system in the UK. She was also a stalwart of the Humanist and Secularist Lib Dems.

Vera was also relentless in her support of Remain during the Referendum campaign and was out on the streets of Amersham and neighbouring towns every weekend from the announcement of the campaign till the last day.  Her close friend Beth Clutterbuck remembered: “being ordered to deliver the last batch of leaflets and in the dying hours of the campaign and ended up talking to dog walkers at 9 pm on Grimsdell’s Lane on the night before the vote.  No slacking!  On one occasion in Chalfont St Peter, Vera – all 5′ foot of her, was accosted by a huge burly man who towered over her and told her she should be hung, drawn and quartered for betraying her country.  Her response was to wag a finger and give him a crisp lecture on peace in Europe which we had enjoyed for 70 years.  He mumbled as he slunk off, somewhat subdued and better informed.  It’s hard to credit that at the time she was in her late 80s”.

In tribute to Vera’s long service to the Liberal Democrats and in particular the Women’s Liberal Federation, the forerunner of the LDW (Liberal Democrat Women), LDW have set up the Vera Head Kickstart Fund.  This will provide a LDW member who is seeking election as a councillor, a grant towards the cost of attending ALDC’s Kickstart weekend.

Women in Politics

Vera encouraged women to stand for local politics from all sides of the political divide and formed a strong friendship with Conservative Councillor Mimi Harker. The pair formed a mutually supportive double act for many years, working together on local campaigns such as fundraising for an outdoor gym on the George V Playing Fields. Vera would challenge any unpleasant behaviour in council meetings and would regularly encourage the other women to stand up for themselves. Mimi recalled that after a particularly bruising exchange, she was trying to pull herself together in the toilets when Vera marched in. Giving Mimi her most ferocious glare she instructed her to dry her eyes, sort herself out, redo her make up and get out there: “You must not let those bullies win!”

When Mimi started her annual Age UK Silver Sunday event in Amersham to celebrate the elderly in the community, Vera always volunteered to sit at the front desk and meet and greet, not paying any attention to the fact that she was probably older than most of the guests!

Women’s Issues

Vera had a great breadth of interest in all women’s issues.  She was particularly keen to remember the role of the Suffragette Movement and suggested a celebration party on the centenary anniversary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act which allowed votes for some women (over 30 with a property qualification). Vera created a Votes for Women banner and gathered together a roomful of progressive local women. They were mainly Lib Dems but not all, and each was given a green, white and purple suffragette sash to wear.  Beth remembered soon afterwards taking Vera to see the film Suffragette which clearly moved her: “It’s the only time I ever saw her express any real emotion.  We had come a long way since 1918, and Vera was certainly one of the torch carriers and I felt she would love to have been one of those pioneers” explained Beth.  

Community

Vera was committed to supporting her community in any way she could and was chair of the Community Services Committee on the Town Council for many years. She was a founder member of Amersham Action Group, a community group to promote living and working in Amersham-on-the-Hill which evolved from the Amersham Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s. She campaigned for step free access at Amersham station and could always be relied on to get involved and help whatever the weather. Into her 90s she still helped at the annual Amersham Christmas Festival, selling raffle tickets in the freezing cold and supporting every activity.

Caron Lindsay the editor of Liberal Democratic Voice wrote in January that until last May, Vera was: “still enjoying scaring the living daylights out of the local Tories as one of the oldest councillors in the country! Oh, and scaring a few Lib Dems along the way too! A fierce friend and a ferocious political adversary. And I suspect you are now giving St Peter a hard time about his organisation of Heaven! Vera, we shall miss you. RIP”. But the final word goes to Beth: “Vera was a Humanist and I think would have attended meetings of the local Humanist Society.   As such, maybe St Peter wouldn’t let her in!  She’d certainly put up an argument though and would deserve her place beyond the pearly gates!”

Sources

Party legend Vera Head dies at 97

Beth Clutterbuck

Ancestry

British Newspaper Archive