Former Rochdale councillor Wera Hobhouse elected MP for Bath

Want to buy this photo?

Wera Hobhouse at Norden Carnival in 2009

Former Rochdale councillor Wera Hobhouse was elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath at the general election on 8 June.

Securing a majority of 5,694 votes, Mrs Hobhouse won the seat with 23,436 votes (47.3%).

The Bath seat was previously held by Conservative politician Ben Howlett, who came second with 35.8% of the vote.

Following the result, she said: “It's the most tremendous honour to be elected as the Lib Dems Member of Parliament for Bath.”

Born in Hanover, Germany, Wera came to Britain in 1990 having met and married her English husband, William, while studying in London. They lived in Liverpool before moving to Rochdale in 1999 and lived in Shawclough with their four children before moving to Bath.

Wera and William were elected to Rochdale Council in 2004 as members of the Conservative party and then made the very controversial decision to move to the Liberal Democrats, where they stood as councillors for Norden and Bamford, respectively.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news/11095/local-election-candidate-interview-wera-and-william-hobhouse

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/10047/councillors-switch-parties

Wera had previously been involved in politics in her home country, and William had been involved in politics ‘all his life’ and had previously stood for Parliament. They both cite the fall of the Berlin Wall, which they travelled to witness in November 1989, as a pivotal moment in their lives.

As a councillor in Rochdale she was known for her diligence and tenacity, amongst many high profile causes she championed was her support for the fight against the building of 600 new homes and a children’s nursery on asbestos-contaminated land on the site of the former Turner Brothers Asbestos factory in Spodden Valley.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/10348/chris-davies-mep-visits-spodden-valley

Wera previously stood as a candidate for the Heywood and Middleton constituency in the 2010 general election, which was won by the late Labour MP, Jim Dobbin.