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Phil Bennion MEP
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Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands Region
Office of Phil Bennion MEP
6b Bolebridge Street
Tamworth
Staffordshire B79 7PA
01827 312100 (landline)
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Commenting on his role as MEP for the West Midlands, Phillip Bennion said:
"I am determined to fight for the vital interests of the whole of the West Midlands region in the European Union and for a more prosperous and democratic Europe. From the shire counties to the manufacturing heart of the nation in Birmingham, this region's economic and environmental future will be shaped by our relationship with the EU.
"Literally hundreds of thousands of local jobs depend on it, so I will do my best to make sure we punch our weight in the corridors of power, whether in Brussels or London."
Phillip Bennion CV Highlights
Born 07/10/1954,Tamworth, Staffordshire. Married to Penny Bennion.
Education
Aberdeen. BSc Agricultural Biology Class 2, Div 1 (1977)
Newcastle upon Tyne. PhD entitled "Improving the yield of late sown Winter Oilseed Rape" awarded 1986.
Birmingham. BA in History and Economic and Social History, Class 1 (1994).
Career
Lecturer in Crop Production, Shuttleworth College, 1983-4.
Arable farmer, self-employed, 1985 to present.
Small arable farm of 106 hectares lying 6 miles north of Tamworth, including mixed soil types, but mainly silty clay loam. The farm is run as a one-man operation using a contractor for combining. The farm is owner-occupied and has been in the family since 1934.
Farming related Committee Work
Staffordshire County NFU Chairman (1996) and a former vice chair of a national committee of the NFU.
West Midlands Region Combinable Crops Board until Jan 2012.
Spent 12 years as a member of HGCA R&D Committee, part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Currently Chair of the MIN-NO project, a £5m DEFRA LINK research project aimed at reducing Nitrous Oxide emissions from arable farming.
Rural Economy
Staffordshire Rural Hub, Founding Chairman 2004 - 09.
Staffordshire Rural Forum; Vice Chairman 2003 - 09
Domestic Politics
Liberal Democrat Councillor on Lichfield District Council, 1999 - 2011.
Parliamentary candidate for Lichfield Constituency, 1997 and 2001, for the Tamworth Constituency in 2005 and Telford in 2010.
European Parliamentary Candidate for West Midlands in 1999, 2004 and 2009 being elected to No 2 on the Lib Dem regional list in 2009.
A former rural affairs adviser to Charles Kennedy, Phillip Bennion has only just given up his seat on the Liberal Democrats Federal Policy Committee which develops policy and drafts the party manifesto. Also an expert in economic policy, he convinced Vince Cable to back his proposal for raising the Income Tax threshold to £10,000 a year as the top priority tax reform, a policy now being carried out by the coalition government.
Phillip has been an active member of Lib Dem policy Working Groups including Climate Change, Europe and Natural Environment and drafted the current Liberal Democrat policy on reforming the EU Common Agricultural Policy.
International Politics
Member of the Liberal Democrats International Relations Committee 2007 to present.
Member of the governing Council of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Group (ELDR).
Liberal International; currently a member of Liberal International British Group Executive Committee and a delegate at every LI Congress since 2005. Phillip also attends full LI Executive meetings mirroring his negotiating role on ELDR Council.
Chair of Liberal Democrat European Group (LDEG) 2008 to present. He launched and edits Eurofile, a bimonthly magazine on European liberal political news and comment in 2009.
Other
Interests include cricket (formerly as a Derbyshire County League player, now on the umpire's list).
The Arts including theatre (RSC full member), music (CBSO member;) and opera, (Friends of Opera North) and Art History (an option subject taken whilst at the University of Birmingham).
World Travel as an independent traveller.