Geoff Gollop

Geoff Gollop
OBE
Personal details
Born Geoffrey Richard Gollop
(1955-02-23) 23 February 1955
Bristol, United Kingdom
Political party Conservative (since 1973)
Spouse(s) Bernice (m. 1990 or 1991)
Children Mark
Lorna
Residence Bristol (private)
Alma mater Clifton College
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Profession Accountant
politician
Religion Methodism
Website geoffgollop.org.uk

Geoffrey Richard "Geoff" Gollop, OBE[1][2] (born 23 February 1955)[2] is a British Conservative politician, the Deputy Mayor of Bristol, the former Lord Mayor of Bristol, and the former Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol. He was the Conservative candidate for the first directly-elected Mayor of Bristol in 2012.[3]

Personal life

Gollop was born at Bristol Maternity Hospital and has lived his entire life in Bristol, having been brought up in Henbury, where he attended Blaise Primary School.[2] He then attended Clifton College, and after that went up to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Thereafter he trained in accounting, became a Chartered Accountant and worked in accounting firms, before being made redundant and setting up his own business.[4] Geoff Gollop & Co merged with accounting firm Milsted Langdon in 2013, with Gollop joining the latter as a director.[5]

Gollop is married to Bernice and has two children, Mark and Lorna. He is a Methodist and supports Bristol Rovers F.C. and Bristol City F.C.[4] His other interests include musical theatre and travel.[2] He joined the Conservative Party in 1973. He is a former school governor of Henbury School and Henleaze Junior School, and a former church warden of St Mary's Church, Henbury.[2]

In November 2011, Gollop was the victim of an arson attack on his car, for which the Informal Anarchist Federation claimed responsibility.[6]

Political career

Gollop was inspired to enter local politics by the issue of secondary education[7] and by his father Philip, a former Councillor for the Henbury ward,[8] and he has been a Conservative Councillor on Bristol City Council since June 2001, representing the Westbury-on-Trym ward.[9]

In 2011, Gollop was appointed the Lord Mayor of Bristol,[10] and in 2012 he was appointed the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol. On 7 August 2012, he was selected to be the Conservative candidate for the first directly-elected Mayor of Bristol, having defeated former three-time Lord Mayor and Bristol City Council's Conservative group leader, Peter Abrahams, and former Councillor, Barbara Lewis. Receiving support from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson,[11] Gollop campaigned on transport, education, inequality and Council culture.[12] His specific policies included a freeze or reduction in Council Tax, lower fares on public transport, and business rates relief for independent shops.[13] In the election on 15 November, Gollop lost to independent candidate George Ferguson, coming third, with 9.13% of the first-preference votes, behind Ferguson and the Labour Party candidate Marvin Rees. Gollop attributed the result to "a real disillusionment with party politics".[14] After the election, Mayor Ferguson appointed Gollop as the Deputy Mayor of Bristol, and as the Cabinet member with responsibility for finance and corporate services.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Subject gatherings". Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. March 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "City and County of Bristol: The Lord Mayor of Bristol 2011 – 2012". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Conservative party names Geoff Gollop as Bristol mayor candidate". BBC News. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 "PROFILE: Geoff Gollop – "I'll be a safe pair of hands"". Bristol Post. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Sweet, Pat. "Milsted Langdon merges firm with Geoff Gollop & Co". Accountancy Live. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Bristol arson attack linked to anarchist terror network". Channel 4 News. 28 August 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "Why Geoff Gollop?". Geoff Gollop. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "About Geoff". Geoff Gollop. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Bristol City Council Election Results for 7 Jun 2001". Bristol City Council. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  10. ↑ bristollordmayor. "Mayor making meeting 17/05/11". Flickr. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Muir, Hugh. "Boris Johnson and the politician's awkward moment: six of the best". The Guardian. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Conservatives announce their mayoral candidate". Bristol Post. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  13. ↑ "Bristol mayoral race: Geoff Gollop makes tax pledge". BBC News. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  14. ↑ Murray Brown, John. "Plan comes together for Bristol’s new mayor". The Financial Times. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "The Cabinet – who's involved and how it works". Bristol City Council. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
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