Paul Tilsley

Councillor Paul Tilsley MBE
Born	Birmingham
Alma mater	University of Central England
Occupation	Deputy Leader, Birmingham City Council (2005– May 2012)
Years active	1968–present
Organization	Liberal Democrat Party
Known for	Lord Mayor of Birmingham, later Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council
Children	two sons and one daughter

Councillor Paul Tilsley MBE was deputy leader of Birmingham City Council and the senior Liberal Democrat in the council's ruling Liberal Democrat–Conservative coalition.^[1] He was previously Lord Mayor of Birmingham, in 1993–4.

As a councillor, he represents the ward of Sheldon,^[1] and was previously a councillor in Aston ward.^[1] He is was Chairman of the Birmingham Strategic Partnershipfrom October 2005 until May 2012.

Education

Tilsley studied at University of Central England, now renamed Birmingham City University, gaining a BA (Hons) in Government, then going on to study for a Master of Business Administration (MBA), graduating prior to becoming the 2nd Chancellor of the University, from 1993 to 1994, a position that is held when Lord Mayor of the City of Birmingham.

Career

Tilsley worked in the fresh food industry as a senior manager for a number of years, before spending the last 25 years of active employment in the voluntary sector as a senior manager, with the last 7 years as Chief Executive of West Midlands European Network, before taking early retirement to concentrate on the increasing Council, regional, national and international work load.

He was Chairman of the Birmingham Strategic Partnership from 2005 until May 2012, Birmingham's representative on UK Core Cities for the same period, Chairman of Euro Cities Social Affairs Forum.

He was responsible for placing Birmingham as one of the UK's leading cities on the Sustainability and Environmental Agenda, speaking at a number of Conferences both in the UK and in Europe on this issue.^[2]

From May 2005 until May 2012 he was Chairman of Digital Birmingham which brought together both public and private sector partners in driving forward the Digital Agenda to make Birmingham a leading "edge" City. One of his major achievements was to Champion the modernisation of Birmingham City Councils IT system, which has seen a wholesale change in the way that the Council conducts its business, and communicates and does business with its 1,000,000 citizens.^[2]

Politics

First elected for Aston Ward as a Liberal in 1968, until 1986. He was then elected for Sheldon Ward in 1988, re-elected in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2011.

He also represented Aston on the West Midlands County Council from 1973 until its abolition in 1986, where he was Liberal Group Leader.

In May 1993, he was elected as Lord Mayor of Birmingham, the first Liberal/Liberal Democrat to hold the Office since William Adlington Cadbury in 1921. He was also the youngest Lord Mayor of Birmingham since 1947. The following year he served as Deputy Lord Mayor.

Tilsley was elected Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in May 2005, which due to the Partnership with the Conservatives in Birmingham made him Deputy Leader of the Council, a post he was to hold until May 2012, when the Coalition in Birmingham lost control to the Labour Party. He was however re-elected as Group Leader of the Group at their Annual Meeting in May 2012 and again in May 2013.

He fought two European Elections in 1999 an 2004, was second on the Liberal Democrat list, and for 10 years he was the alternate MEP for the West Midlands, as only one was elected.

Also at a regional level, when the then Labour Government set up the Regional Development Agencies (RDA's), Regional assemblies were also created as a balance. He was elected as Lib Dem Group Leader, a post that he was to hold from 1998 until the abolition in 2011. He was simultaneously Group Leader and Vice Chairman of the West Midlands Local Government Association during this period.

He also served as a Board Member for Castle Vale Housing Trust from 1996 until 1999. In 2001 he was appointed to the Board of Advantage West Midlands, the Regional Development Agency for the West Midlands, standing down in 2004 to fight the European Election.

At a national level, he was first Deputy Leader on the Local Government Association's Urban Commission for 2 years before being elected as Leader and Vice Chairman for two years until 2005. Post May 2012, he has been the Deputy Chairman of the LGA's Finance Panel, and LibDem spokesman on local government finance.

In November 2012, Tilsley was elected to the Liberal Democrats Federal Conference Committee.

He has also been Birmingham's political spokesman on the English Core Cities, from May 2005 until May 2012.

As Birmingham's representative on Euro Cities, he has served on the Executive Committee, taking a particular interest in Social Affairs Forum, serving 2 years as Vice Chairman from 2008, then elected as Chairman in 2010. At the Annual Meeting in November 2011 he was responsible for Birmingham's re-election to the Executive Committee.

Tilsley was a non-exec Director of the National Exhibition Centre from May 2005 until December 2012, and since 2008 Birmingham Airport, which is currently going through a period of major expansion, Chairing the Audit Committee. In May 2012, he was appointed as a Director of Millennium Point.

From 2010 until June 2012 he was a co-opted Committee member of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and in June 2011 was made a Vice President of Moseley Rugby Football Club.

Health has also been one of his longstanding interests, having been first appointed to the South Birmingham Community Health Trust in 1995, then to Birmingham Specialist Community NHS Trust, South Birmingham Primary Care Trust, and latterly to Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust where he is Vice Chairman.

He has written a number of articles on issues as diverse as history of the radical M.P. John Bright, to regeneration, sustainability and community politics.

He was awarded the M.B.E. in the Queen's Birthday Honours in June 1991 for "political and public service".

In 2007, he was named "Politician of the Year", by the Birmingham Post.

References

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