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Mick Bates (politician)
Encyclopedia
Mick Bates is an Independent
Liberal Democrat
politician. He was Member of the National Assembly for Wales
for Montgomeryshire between 1999 and 2011.
, Barrow in Soar; then at Belvidere Secondary School, Shrewsbury, from 1970 to 1975; he became head of general science at The Grove School, Market Drayton
, 1975-77. In 1977 he left teaching to become a farmer and took up campaigning on behalf of agriculture and rural communities. Bates was chairman of the National Farmers Union
(NFU) Llanfair Caereinion Branch from 1983 to 1985 and Chairman of the County Livestock Committee, 1988-1991. He instigated and chaired the NFU County Public Affairs Committee in 1990 and was the NFU County Chairman in 1991.
In 1994 Bates became involved in local politics as a Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Dyffryn Banw, where he started a community regeneration scheme as Chairman of the Llanfair Town Forum, which successfully obtained Market Towns Initiative status. He also produced and presented the Radio Maldwyn farming programme and organised a scheme for students to visit farms from 1994-5. He was an NFU elected delegate 1995. He was founding Chair of Primestock Producers Cymru, a national farmers cooperative, and also helped to found Montgomeryshire Rural Enterprises in 1997. In 1999 Bates was elected as Welsh Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire
and held the seat until the Assembly election on 5 May 2011
.
On 10 December 2010, Bates was convicted of three counts of common assault and public disorder following an incident on 20 January 2010, and was ordered to pay fines, compensation and costs totalling £5,490. The Welsh Liberal Democrats began proceedings to terminate his membership of the party.
Mick Bates promoted and secured free school milk for key stage one students in Wales, helped establish the Small Schools Fund and wrote a Biomass Strategy based on a local project in Llanwyddyn to provide heat and hot water for the school and surrounding houses.
On agriculture, Mick Bates designed the unique concept of Farming Connect, a free business advisory service for farmers to help farmers throughout Wales. He campaigned successfully for the creation of an independent appeals panel to resolve subsidy disputes.
The environment is an important issue for Mick Bates and he is founder member of the cross party National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (NASEG) which sought to promote the development of a sustainable energy industry in Wales.
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
politician. He was Member of the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
for Montgomeryshire between 1999 and 2011.
Background
Bates first worked as a science teacher at Humphrey Perkins Junior High SchoolHumphrey Perkins School
The Humphrey Perkins School was founded in 1717 in Barrow-on-Soar, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom.A Free Grammar School founded in 1717 in the will of the Barrow-on-Soar born Revd. Humphrey Perkins, rector of Holme Pierrepont, Nottinghamshire, who left money for a grammar school to be built...
, Barrow in Soar; then at Belvidere Secondary School, Shrewsbury, from 1970 to 1975; he became head of general science at The Grove School, Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, 1975-77. In 1977 he left teaching to become a farmer and took up campaigning on behalf of agriculture and rural communities. Bates was chairman of the National Farmers Union
National Farmers Union
National Farmers Union may refer to:*National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union *National Farmers Union of Scotland*National Farmers Union -See also:...
(NFU) Llanfair Caereinion Branch from 1983 to 1985 and Chairman of the County Livestock Committee, 1988-1991. He instigated and chaired the NFU County Public Affairs Committee in 1990 and was the NFU County Chairman in 1991.
In 1994 Bates became involved in local politics as a Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Dyffryn Banw, where he started a community regeneration scheme as Chairman of the Llanfair Town Forum, which successfully obtained Market Towns Initiative status. He also produced and presented the Radio Maldwyn farming programme and organised a scheme for students to visit farms from 1994-5. He was an NFU elected delegate 1995. He was founding Chair of Primestock Producers Cymru, a national farmers cooperative, and also helped to found Montgomeryshire Rural Enterprises in 1997. In 1999 Bates was elected as Welsh Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire (Assembly constituency)
Montgomeryshire is a constituency of the National Assembly for Wales. It elects one Assembly Member by the first past the post method of election...
and held the seat until the Assembly election on 5 May 2011
National Assembly for Wales election, 2011
The National Assembly for Wales election 2011 was the most recent election for the National Assembly. The poll was held on Thursday, 5 May 2011 and decided the incumbency for all the assembly's seats...
.
On 10 December 2010, Bates was convicted of three counts of common assault and public disorder following an incident on 20 January 2010, and was ordered to pay fines, compensation and costs totalling £5,490. The Welsh Liberal Democrats began proceedings to terminate his membership of the party.
Political interests
They are sustainability and the environment, agriculture, community regeneration and the voluntary sector, infrastructure and ensuring prosperity for rural communities.National Assembly
Whilst at the Assembly, Mick Bates has campaigned for extra money for rural schools and put major road schemes into the Welsh Government Transport Plan including the Newtown bypass, Buttington improvements, the Four Crosses bypass and Glandyfi bends.Mick Bates promoted and secured free school milk for key stage one students in Wales, helped establish the Small Schools Fund and wrote a Biomass Strategy based on a local project in Llanwyddyn to provide heat and hot water for the school and surrounding houses.
On agriculture, Mick Bates designed the unique concept of Farming Connect, a free business advisory service for farmers to help farmers throughout Wales. He campaigned successfully for the creation of an independent appeals panel to resolve subsidy disputes.
The environment is an important issue for Mick Bates and he is founder member of the cross party National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (NASEG) which sought to promote the development of a sustainable energy industry in Wales.
Committee Membership
- Chair of the Sustainability Committee 2007-2010.
- Member of the Rural Development Committee 2007-2010.
- Member of Legislation Committee no.5 2008-2009.
- Member of the proposed Environmental Protection and Waste Management LCO Committee 2007-2008.
- Chair of the Mid & West Wales Regional Committee 2007.
- Member of the Environment, Planning and Countryside Committee 2003-2007.
- Member of the Mid Wales Regional Committee 2003-2005.
- Member of the Economic Development Committee 2002-2003.
- Chair of the Legislation Committee 2000-2003.
- Member of the Environment, Planning and Transport Committee 2000-2001.
- Member of the Mid Wales Regional Committee 1999-2003.
- Member of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee 1999-2002.
External links
- Mick Bates AM official site
- Mick Bates AM official biography at the National Assembly for Wales website
- NASEG National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group