Brian Coleman

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Brian Coleman (born 25 June 1961) is a Conservative Party politician and member of the London Assembly for Barnet and Camden, England. He is a Councillor in the London Borough of Barnet.

He is a former Chairman of the Finchley Friends of Israel and remains member of Conservative Friends of Israel. Governor at two local Secondary Schools, he is also involved with the Scouts and the Rotary Club, and is a vocal supporter of the rights of Falun Gong practitioners[1] and the Greek Cypriot community.

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[edit] Politics

Coleman has tended to take strong and often controversial lines on many topics including the development of Barnet Football Club, the London 2012 Olympic Bid and the expansion of Tesco into small shopping parades. He was against Middlesex University's plans to expand its Trent Park campus because it was "a crap university"[2]. Following the July 7, 2005 bombings in London, Coleman questioned on radio how safe it was for Londoners to travel by public transport. In June 2006 he criticised the planned refurbishment of Potters Fields Park (between City Hall and Tower Bridge), saying that it should be replaced by a multi-storey car park[3].

In 2002, Coleman announced his intention to seek the Conservative Party nomination to be candidate for Mayor of London but he was rejected at a very early stage.

During the 2005 Conservative Party Leadership Election, Coleman publicly supported David Davis.

[edit] Barnet Council

Coleman was elected as councillor for Totteridge ward in 1998. He is Cabinet Member for Community Engagement and Community Safety of Barnet.

Immediately following the local government election in May 2006, Coleman successfully proposed a vote of no confidence in the Leader of the London Borough of Barnet, Councillor Brian Salinger, causing his replacement as Leader by Councillor Mike Freer[4].

[edit] Pro Car Policy

During his time as a councillor in the London Borough of Barnet, Coleman has built up a reputation as an outspoken supporter of car driving, leading Richard Littlejohn to label him a "hero" for introducing a policy of removing road humps when the roads of Barnet are resurfaced. Coleman quotes the Metropolitan Police and the London Ambulance Service as being supporters of this policy while road safety critics argue that the policy is reckless and driven by populism and self promotion.

Coleman was caught by a speed camera exceeding a 30mph speed limit in Borehamwood in January 2006. He already had 9 points on his driving licence. On 9 August 2006 at St Albans Magistrates' Court, Coleman was given three points on his licence, banned from driving for six months and fined £300.[5][6]

Coleman takes great pride in his campaign to re-open Partingdale Lane, a narrow country road with no pavement, between Mill Hill and Woodside Park in London. The lane was closed by Barnet's previous Labour council for safety reasons, not least that residents of nearby Woodside Park had been using the road as a high speed rat-run[7]. The road was reopened in December 2002[8], before being closed again two months later following a High Court judgement[9].

[edit] London Assembly

He was elected to the Assembly at the 2000 election, and retained the seat in 2004. He served as the first Conservative Chair(man) of the London Assembly in 2004/5, Deputy Chair(man) in 2005/6 and Chairman once again from 2006.

As Chairman of the London Assembly, Coleman introduced the old Greater London Council Chairman's badge [10] and has made the role considerably more civic-based than previous holders of the post. This has led some critics to label Coleman as "pompous" and "self important"[11], not least because of the high number of honorary and civic positions he has held in the past and continues to hold at present.

Coleman's politics and style has led him to be one of Mayor of London Ken Livingstone's principal critics, publicly falling out with the Mayor over the London Borough of Barnet's resurfacing policy, congestion charging and Livingstone's comments in 2005 likening a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Clear Harmony press release 14 October 2001
  2. ^ Barnet Times 8 April 2004
  3. ^ London SE1 2 June 2006
  4. ^ Barnet Times 18 May 2006
  5. ^ Barnet Times 31 August 2006
  6. ^ The Guardian 6 September 2006
  7. ^ 'Save The Lane' website
  8. ^ Edgware and Mill Hill Times 20 December 2002
  9. ^ Barnet Times 2 April 2003
  10. ^ The Guardian 16 September 2004
  11. ^ Barnet Times 24 June 2004
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