Mark Hunter (politician)

Last updated

Mark Hunter
Mark Hunter MP (3).jpg
Hunter in 2014, at Victoria Tower Gardens, Westminster
Leader of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
Assumed office
19 May 2022
ResidenceBramhall
Website www.markhunter.org.uk

Mark James Hunter (born 25 July 1957) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and leader of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council who became Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheadle at a 2005 by-election. [1] At the 2015 general election, Hunter lost his seat to Mary Robinson of the Conservative Party. [2] Since 19 May 2022, Hunter has served as the leader of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. [3] As leader he is also a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio holder for Children and Young People. [4]

Contents

Education and background

Mark Hunter was educated at Audenshaw Grammar School for Boys and worked as a marketing executive for the Guardian Media Group until 2002. [5]

Political career

Before Parliament

Mark Hunter ran as the Liberal candidate in Ashton under Lyne in the 1987 general election, and as the Liberal Democrat candidate in Stockport in the 2001 general election. He was first elected to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in May 1996 for a ward in Marple, and served as chair of education before replacing Patsy Calton as deputy leader and executive member for regeneration in June 2001 when she stood down after becoming the local MP. In May 2002 he became leader of the council.

As Leader, Mark Hunter served on the North West Regional Authority. He was also elected to the Liberal Democrat executive on the Local Government Association.

Election to Parliament

When Patsy Calton died from cancer shortly after the 2005 general election, Mark Hunter was selected to follow her. Stephen Day who was MP prior to 2001 was selected as the Conservative Party candidate. In a by-election which saw accusations of 'dirty tricks' from all parties but was fairly low-profile (coming so soon after the general election), he managed to slightly increase the Liberal Democrat percentage of the vote on a lower turnout.

Parliamentary roles

Mark Hunter served as Liberal Democrat Deputy Chief Whip in the Coalition Government from 2010 until his resignation in 2014. [6] From the election of Nick Clegg as leader of the Liberal Democrats in December 2007 to the 2010 general election, Hunter served as Clegg's Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) and the party's Transport Spokesman in the Commons.

Prior to this, Hunter had been a member of the Shadow Foreign Affairs team in 2007, Shadow Home Affairs team in 2006 and Shadow ODPM team in 2005. [5]

Hunter was a member of the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee which replaced the Trade and Industry Select Committee (of which he was also a member) in November 2007. [7] By virtue of sitting on the BERR committee, Hunter was also a member of the Quadripartite Committee on Strategic Export Controls. [8]

In 2009 he tabled an early day motion to save payments by cheque which were due to be phased out. [9]

2015 general election

Mary Robinson defeated Mark Hunter with a majority of 6,453 on a 16.1% swing from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives. Hunter said that "sometimes you have to accept that you can't swim against the national tide." [10]

2017 general election

Mark Hunter failed to regain his seat in the Cheadle constituency during the 2017 general election. [11]

Return to Stockport Council

Hunter re-joined Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council after winning election to the Cheadle Hulme South ward in 2016. He subsequently replaced Iain Roberts as leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, and opposition leader, in June 2017.

Following the 2022 local elections he was elected as the leader of the council, ousting Labour's Elise Wilson. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Calton</span> British politician (1948–2005)

Patricia Calton was a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheadle in Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Heath (politician)</span> British Liberal Democrat politician

David William St John Heath is a British optometrist and Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Somerton and Frome and was the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food. In October 2013 after being removed from his ministerial post in a reshuffle, he announced his intention to step down at the next UK General Election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Sanders</span> British politician

Adrian Mark Sanders is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Torbay in Devon from 1997 until his defeat in the 2015 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheadle (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1950

Cheadle is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hazel Grove (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Hazel Grove is a constituency in Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by William Wragg, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council</span> Local government body in England

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The council is currently run by a Liberal Democrat minority administration. At the 2023 local elections, the Liberal Democrats gained two more seats, increasing their lead over the Labour Party to six seats, and retaining minority control. The Liberal Democrats currently have 30 seats, Labour 24, and the Heald Green Ratepayers, Greens and the Edgeley Community Association each holding 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Cheadle by-election</span>

The Cheadle by-election, in Greater Manchester, England, was caused by the death of Patsy Calton, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheadle on 29 May 2005. The election was held on 14 July 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Borough of Stockport</span> Borough of Greater Manchester, England

The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is south-east of central Manchester and south of Tameside. As well as the towns of Stockport, Bredbury and Marple, it includes the outlying villages and suburbs of Hazel Grove, Bramhall, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Reddish, Woodley and Romiley. In 2021, it had a population of 294,800. The borough is third-most populous of Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marple North (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Marple North is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three Councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one Councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheadle Hulme South (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Cheadle Hulme South is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three Councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one Councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramhall South and Woodford (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Bramhall South and Woodford is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first-past-the-post electoral method, electing one councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramhall North (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Bramhall North is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three Councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one Councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheadle and Gatley (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Cheadle and Gatley is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three Councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one Councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manor (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Manor is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first past the post electoral method, electing one councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offerton (Stockport electoral ward)</span> Human settlement in England

Offerton is an electoral ward in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport. It elects three Councillors to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council using the first-past-the-post electoral method, electing one Councillor every year without election on the fourth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Robinson (British politician)</span> British Conservative politician

Mary Josephine Robinson is a British Conservative politician. She was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Cheadle at the 2015 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election</span>

The 2016 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. Stockport Council is elected in thirds which means that in each three member local ward, one councillor is elected every year, except every four years which is classed as fallow year. The last fallow year was 2013, when no local government elections took place in the borough. Those councillors elected with serve a four-year term expiring in 2020, the term was subsequently extended for a further year due to the deferral of the 2020 UK local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navendu Mishra</span> British Labour politician

Navendu Prabhat Mishra is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Stockport since 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election</span> English local election

The 2021 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election were held on 6 May 2021, to elect members of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election</span> 2023 local government election in Stockport

The 2023 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council elections took place on 4 May 2023 alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. Due to boundary changes, all 63 seats on Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council were contested.

References

  1. ↑ "Mark Hunter". BBC Democracy Live. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Statham, Nick (8 May 2015). "Cheadle constituency results: General Election 2015 - Tories take seat from the Liberal Democrats". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Liberal Democrats lead Stockport Council after crunch vote". BBC News. 19 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Councillor Mark Hunter". Greater Manchester Combined Authority . Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Mark Hunter". Liberal Democrats . Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "Lib Dem deputy chief whip Mark Hunter resigns". The Telegraph. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "UK Parliament - Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee". 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2008.
  8. ↑ "UK Parliament - Quadripartite Committee - Committees on Strategic Export Controls". 10 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008.
  9. ↑ "Cheques to be phased out by 2018". The Guardian. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "Cheadle parliamentary constituency - Election 2015 - BBC News" . Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "MARK HUNTER TO STAND FOR LIB DEMS IN CHEADLE". cheadleandgatley.mycouncillor. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  12. ↑ Statham, Nick. "LIVE: Labour and Lib Dems in showdown vote for control of Stockport council".
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Cheadle
2005–2015 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Leader of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
2022–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.