Simon Wright - A Champion for Norwich South

Simon Wright was elected in May 2010 as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Norwich South.

Simon is married Rosalind, who works at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich.

Member of Parliament for Norwich South

Simon won the Norwich South seat with a narrow 310 majority, in what was a very tight 'two-horse race' with the Labour Party.

Soon after the election, Simon Wright organised a delegation of all nine Norfolk MPs to meet with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, to bring to his attention the challenges faced by Norfolk including the need to dual the A11, improve rail services, and boost broadband connections.

In the Commons, Simon has questionned government ministers on issues including the future of the post office network, and the need to encourage more good teachers into schools.

Simon has been appointed to serve as the Liberal Democrat member of the prestigious Environmental Audit Select Committee.

"I feel very honoured to have been chosen to represent Norwich in Parliament," says Simon Wright.

"It's really important that in these very challenging times, when public money is so short, that the poorest and most vulnerable in society are not put in the frontline of cuts. I welcome the action taken by the government to raise the threshold for paying income tax, and to relink the state pension to average earnings."

"I will also be speaking up on environmental issues. Here in Norfolk, we are in many ways on the frontline of climate change and rising sea-levels, but we have a lot of potential and expertise locally which means that we can lead the way to a low-carbon economy. The Liberal Democrats have the most radical policies of all the main parties to tackle these problems."

Background

Simon was brought up on a farm in North Tuddenham near Dereham, Norfolk. He has one brother, Peter, who also lives in Norwich and who is a drum teacher, playing in several local bands.

Simon attended a local state school, Dereham Neatherd High, before studying for an honours BSc degree in Mathematics at Imperial College London. After graduating, Simon remained in London for a further year to study at Kings College London, completing a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) in mathematics.

Other than studying, Simon was also a keen musician playing bass guitar and producing music with a variety of bands.

Simon returned to Norfolk in 2002 and took up a secondary mathematics teaching post. He was elected as a district councillor in North Norfolk, and later accepted a post working with North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb. Living in Eaton with his wife Rosalind, Simon spent over three years as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Norwich South before being elected in 2010.