Summary
Oliver James Coppard (born 1981) is a British Labour Co-op politician, serving as the Mayor of South Yorkshire since May 2022.[1]
Oliver Coppard | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of South Yorkshire | |
| Assumed office 9 May 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Jarvis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 June 1981 |
| Political party | Labour Co-op |
| Alma mater | The University of Leeds |
Political career edit
Coppard was the Labour candidate for Sheffield Hallam at the 2015 general election.[2]
South Yorkshire Mayor edit
In the 2022 South Yorkshire mayoral election, Coppard was chosen as the Labour candidate.[3][4] He won the election, getting a plurality of votes in the first round, at 43.1% and defeating the Conservative candidate Clive Watkinson by a margin of 71.4% to 28.6% in the second round.[5][6][1]
On 12 March 2024, Coppard announced £2.2 million funding to provide a safe space to sleep for every child aged 0-5 in South Yorkshire.[7] Coppard told the Yorkshire Post that he established the programme because he knew that 'one in nine babies that go home from hospital in Sheffield alone go home without a safe place to sleep' and they can 'end up sleeping in a bath or a box, a drawer, in a bouncy chair'.[8]
On 22 March 2024, under Coppard's leadership the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority formally brought the Supertram under public control.[9] This move was welcomed by commentators, with Matthew Topham from Better Buses for South Yorkshire calling 'a day of celebration when our local transport will be run by and for the people it serves'[10] and a Sheffield Councillor called it a 'brave decision' that deserves 'all of our support' in a column for the Sheffield Telegraph.'[11]
Early life and education edit
Coppard attended Silverdale School, followed by High Storrs School, before pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Politics and Parliamentary Studies from the University of Leeds.[12]
He is the Board Chair at the Sheffield Hallam Students' Union.[4]
He is a resident of Sheffield.
References edit
- ^ a b "Who is the new South Yorkshire mayor and what powers does he have?". ITV News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Sheffield Hallam parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "South Yorkshire mayoral candidate wants to 'realise the potential' of the region". www.nationalworld.com. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ a b "South Yorkshire Mayor: Oliver Coppard to stand for Labour". BBC News. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "South Yorkshire mayor result: Labour's Oliver Coppard wins". BBC News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "South Yorkshire Mayoral election: Live updates as the count takes place". www.thestar.co.uk. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "A safe space to sleep for every child aged 0-5". South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority. 12 March 2024.
- ^ Jones, Leigh (26 March 2024). "South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard on free children's beds scheme: 'We can make a difference'". Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 26 March 2024.
- ^ Walsh, David (22 March 2024). "Supertram Sheffield: Vital network back in public hands with mayor promising to improve services". Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Sebestyen, Roland (22 March 2024). "Bus campaign group celebrates the new deal for South Yorkshire trams and sends a message: 'The game is up'". The Star, Sheffield. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ Parekh, Minesh (16 March 2024). "Northern Lights: Let's get our public transport network moving once again". Sheffield Telegraph.
- ^ "Oliver Coppard - Linkedin". Linkedin. Retrieved 9 April 2022.