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British politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Geoffrey Richard Gollop, OBE[4][5] (born 23 February 1955)[5] is a British Conservative politician. He was a councillor on Bristol City Council from 2001 to 2024 and deputy mayor of Bristol from 2012-16. He stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for the first directly elected mayor of Bristol in 2012.[6]
Geoff Gollop | |
---|---|
Deputy Mayor of Bristol | |
In office 2012–2016 | |
Leader | George Ferguson |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Craig Cheney (Finance, Governance and Performance)[1] Asher Craig (Communities, Events and Equalities) |
Lord Mayor of Bristol | |
In office 2011–2011[2] | |
Preceded by | Colin Smith |
Succeeded by | Peter Main |
Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol | |
In office 2012–2012[2] | |
Leader | Peter Main |
Preceded by | Colin Smith |
Succeeded by | Peter Main |
Councillor for Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze | |
Assumed office 2001[3] | |
Personal details | |
Born | Geoffrey Richard Gollop 23 February 1955 |
Political party | Conservative (since 1973) |
Spouse | Bernice (m. 1990 or 1991) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Clifton College Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge |
Profession | Accountant politician |
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.[5] 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.[7] Geoff Gollop & Co merged with accounting firm Milsted Langdon in 2013, with Gollop joining the latter as a director.[8]
Gollop is married to Bernice and has two children, Mark and Hermione. He is a Methodist and supports Bristol Rovers F.C. and Bristol City F.C.[7] His other interests include musical theatre and travel.[5] 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.[5]
Gollop was inspired to enter local politics by the issue of secondary education[9] and by his father Philip, a former Councillor for the Henbury ward,[10].
Gollop was first elected as a Conservative Councillor on Bristol City Council in the June 2001 local election, representing the Westbury-on-Trym ward.[3] He was re-elected several times, representing Westbury-on-Trym and later the Westbury-on-Trym and Henleaze ward, until losing the ward to the Liberal Democrats in the May 2024 local election.[11]
In 2011-12, Gollop served in the ceremonial role of lord mayor of Bristol,[12] and in 2012-13 he served as the deputy lord mayor.
In November 2011, Gollop was the victim of an arson attack on his car, for which the Informal Anarchist Federation claimed responsibility.[13]
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 Abraham, and former councillor, Barbara Lewis. Receiving support from the mayor of London, Boris Johnson,[14] Gollop campaigned on transport, education, inequality and Council culture.[15] His specific policies included a freeze or reduction in Council Tax, lower fares on public transport, and business rates relief for independent shops.[16] 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".[17]
After the election, Mayor Ferguson assembled a "rainbow cabinet" of councillors from several parties, appointing Gollop as his deputy mayor and cabinet member with responsibility for finance and corporate services.[18][19]
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