Cllr Paul Hodgkinson stood in the 2024 General Election against the area’s MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown when voters went to the polls in the new North Cotswolds seat.
He achieved a 17% swing cutting the Conservative majority from 20,000 to 3,300, making it a key marginal seat for the next election.
Local Champion
Paul Hodgkinson has lived in the Cotswolds and Stroud for 36 years: “I have made our beautiful area my home and set up my small business here".
Leadership and experience
Cllr Hodgkinson has been elected to Cotswold District Council and Gloucestershire County Council eight times - winning the rock solid Conservative seat of Bourton and Northleach after previously representing Bisley in the 1990s. He was also Leader of the Opposition on both councils and is currently the GCC Cabinet Member for Public Health, Communities & Fire plus the CDC Cabinet Member for Health, Culture & the Visitor Experience. With a strong record of campaigning for local people, Paul has lobbied for better ambulance response times, safer roads and has challenged the Cotswolds MP over his second earnings and for failing to be tough on the water companies over the sewage scandal. Paul previously stood for Parliament for the Cotswolds in 2015 and for Stroud in 1997.
Now, following on from the Lib Dem breakthrough in being the leading party on Tewkesbury Borough Council and in running Cotswold District Council for the last 6 years, Paul sees an opportunity for change.
Time for a change
Paul says: “On the back of by election wins all over the country by the Lib Dems, the North Cotswolds is part of the so called ‘Blue Wall’. Mr Clifton-Brown has had 33 years to get things fixed and has sadly failed. He was ranked as the worst MP in the country (650th out of 650) for responsiveness to local residents in the ‘People Power Index’. We demand better.”
The new North Cotswolds constituency includes half of the Cotswold District with iconic villages like Bourton, the communities of Brockworth, Churchdown and Shurdington in the Tewkesbury Borough and parts of the Stroud District such as Painswick.
It's the Lib Dems or the Conservatives in the North Cotswolds
In this new constituency it's neck and neck. The Lib Dems have 18 councillors at county and district level compared to 14 Tories, 10 Green Party and 2 independents. Labour and Reform have no councillors at all.
The close result at the 2024 General Election makes it clear that it's a two horse race and that residents wanting change should back Paul as the most credible alternative.
You can contact Paul here: paulhodgkinsonlibdem@outlook.com
X: @paulcotswolds
FB: PaulForCotswolds
Insta: PaulCotswolds
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