Steve Comer
Encyclopedia
Steve Comer is a former leader of the Liberal Democrats on Bristol City Council
in Bristol
, England
. He has been Councillor for Eastville
ward since 2005, having previously served as Councillor for the adjacent Easton
ward (1983-7).
at 18.
Comer is an active trade unionist, and is a member of the PCS Democrats group on the national executive of the PCS Union
, to which he was first elected in 2000. He has been a union representative at local, regional and national level since 1989 in a variety of negotiating posts.
as leader of the party, and was expected to become leader of the Council but was blocked by a combined Conservative and Labour vote, who installed a Labour leader instead.
At a Council meeting in May 2007 Comer proposed the establishment of a select committee on prostitution. Labour and the Conservatives blocked the proposal, saying the council lacked the funding or the staff who could be dedicated solely to such a specific problem.
Politics of Bristol
The city of Bristol, England, is a unitary authority, represented by four MPs representing seats wholly within the city boundaries. As well as these, Filton and Bradley Stoke covers the northern urban fringe in South Gloucestershire and the north eastern urban fringe is in the Kingswood constituency...
in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He has been Councillor for Eastville
Eastville, Bristol
Eastville is the name of both a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom and a suburb of the city that lies within that ward. The Eastville ward covers the areas of Eastville, Crofts End , Stapleton and part of Fishponds...
ward since 2005, having previously served as Councillor for the adjacent Easton
Easton, Bristol
Easton is both the name of a council ward in the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and an inner city area that lies partly within that ward. The Easton ward also contains the Whitehall and Netham areas of the city. Notable places within the ward include Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road railway...
ward (1983-7).
Background
Comer was born in Bristol, but has lived in a number of places, mostly in the south west of the UK. He is employed as a civil servant, and first became active in politics as a teenager, joining the Liberal PartyLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
at 18.
Comer is an active trade unionist, and is a member of the PCS Democrats group on the national executive of the PCS Union
Public and Commercial Services Union
The Public and Commercial Services Union is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in government departments and other public bodies although some work for private companies.- Membership and organisation :...
, to which he was first elected in 2000. He has been a union representative at local, regional and national level since 1989 in a variety of negotiating posts.
Politics
At the 2005 elections the Liberal Democrat party became the largest party and took minority control of the Council. Comer joined the new cabinet team on the council, and was elected deputy leader in 2006. In May 2007 he replaced Barbara JankeBarbara Janke
Barbara Janke is a teacher and current Liberal Democrat leader of Bristol City Council in Bristol, England. She has been Councillor for Clifton ward since 1995 and was leader of the Liberal Democrat group between 1997 and 2007 , and then again from 2008.Janke was born in Liverpool...
as leader of the party, and was expected to become leader of the Council but was blocked by a combined Conservative and Labour vote, who installed a Labour leader instead.
At a Council meeting in May 2007 Comer proposed the establishment of a select committee on prostitution. Labour and the Conservatives blocked the proposal, saying the council lacked the funding or the staff who could be dedicated solely to such a specific problem.