Dave Hodgson

Dave Hodgson
Mayor of Bedford
Assumed office
15 October 2009
Preceded by Frank Branston
Personal details
Political party Liberal Democrats
Website daveformayor.org.uk

David Stuart Hodgson MBE (born 21 October 1959)[1] is the directly elected mayor of the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.[2] Hodgson is the second elected mayor to represent the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom.

Hodgson was elected to office in a by-election held on October 15, 2009, following the death of previous mayor, Frank Branston.[1]

Early life and career

Hodgson first lived in Bedford from when he was nine years old, and he attended Mark Rutherford School, where his father was headmaster. Attaining a degree in Computing and Business, Hodgson's career outside politics has included IT, lecturing and operating his own secretarial services business.[3]

Political career

Hodgson opening the Bedford Boat Slide Weir Turbine in June 2012.

Hodgson was elected to Bedford Borough Council in 2002, representing Kingsbrook. After the 2009 local elections, Hodgson became leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, and was also appointed an executive member with the Portfolio for Partnerships & IT by the mayor, Frank Branston.[3]

After the death of Branston in August 2009, Hodgson was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the mayoral by-election which was held on October 15, 2009. Hodgson gained 9,428 votes in the first round of the election, to his nearest opponent's 9,105. In the second round he gained a further 4,127 votes, and was declared winner.[1]

In May 2011, he was re-elected mayor for a second term, winning 19,966 in the first round to his opponent's 17,501, and then gained a further 4,325 in the second round to win by a majority of 4,966.[4]

In May 2015, he was elected mayor a third time, with 25,282 first-round votes, with Conservative Jas Parmar polling 19,417. With the low-ranked candidates eliminated and second-preference votes taken into account Hodgson had 35,302 compared to his opponent's 26,513, a majority of 8,789.[5]

Hodgson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to local government.[6]

Personal life

Dave Hodgon's acceptance speech, May 2015.

Hodgson lives in the Kingsbrook area of Bedford with his wife, Christine. His interests and pursuits include gardening, golf, and watching football with his wife.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 BBC News - Lib Dem win in mayoral election
  2. ↑ "Mayoral race: The result". Luton Today. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  3. 1 2 3 daveformayor.org.uk - About Dave Hodgson
  4. ↑ Bedford Borough Council 2011 Mayoral Election
  5. ↑ Borough Council: Mayoral Election Results 2015
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 61608. p. B19. 11 June 2016.
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Political offices
Preceded by
Frank Branston		 directly elected Mayor of Bedford
2009 – Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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