David Bellotti
David Bellotti | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Eastbourne | |
| In office 18 October 1990 – 9 April 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Ian Gow |
| Succeeded by | Nigel Waterson |
| Majority | 4,550 (9.8%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 August 1943 |
| Died | 10 June 2015 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal |
David Frank Bellotti (13 August 1943 – 10 June 2015) was a British Liberal Democrat politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Eastbourne constituency from 1990 to 1992.[1]
Bellotti first contested the Eastbourne seat at the 1979 general election, subsequently fighting Lewes in the 1983 and 1987 general elections under the Liberal banner. He then won the parliamentary seat of Eastbourne for the Liberal Democrats in the Eastbourne by-election following the assassination of Conservative MP Ian Gow by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). He became the first person to be elected as a Liberal Democrat MP after the party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the SDP.
Two years later Bellotti was defeated by Nigel Waterson in the 1992 general election in which John Major's Conservative government was re-elected.
He subsequently unsuccessfully contested the East Sussex and Kent South constituency in the 1994 elections to the European Parliament.
Bellotti returned to local government, regaining a seat on East Sussex County Council and was elected chairman of Sussex Police Authority.[2] He then became CEO of Brighton & Hove Albion, a position in which he controversially took part in the sale of the football club's stadium after their articles of association had been changed, allowing for profit to be made on the sale of the Goldstone Ground. This change was however reversed on the insistence of the Football Association, preventing directors from taking out more than they had invested. Bellotti became reviled by Brighton fans and left the area shortly afterwards.[3]
After leaving the football club and losing his council seat Bellotti moved to Bath and became election agent for Don Foster MP. In May 2003 David Bellotti was elected councillor for Lyncombe ward on Bath and North East Somerset council and was re-elected in 2007 and 2011.[4] He was appointed as chairman of the council for 2008/9[5] and was the council's cabinet member for resources for four years. He died on 10 June 2015, aged 71.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "E" (part 1)
- ^ Danny Penman (6 January 1995). "Animal trade attacked by police chairman". The Independent. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ Greg Wood (29 October 1996). "Brighton rocked by civil war". The Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ "Lyncombe". Bath Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ "Council hosts unique Fairtrade visit for Fairtrade Fortnight". Bath and North East Somerset Council. 2009-02-16. Retrieved 14 December 2009. [dead link]
- ^ http://www.libdemvoice.org/former-mp-and-councillor-david-bellotti-dies-at-72-46358.html
External links
- 1943 births
- 2015 deaths
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- English football chairmen and investors
- Liberal Democrat (UK) MPs
- English people of Italian descent
- Italian British politicians
- Councillors in South West England
- UK MPs 1987–92
- Politics of Eastbourne
- Councillors in East Sussex
- Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. non-playing staff