Bathavon South Liberal Democrats

Neil Butters

by Bathavon South Lib Dems

Neil Butters was elected Vice-Chairman of Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) on 10th May 2012.  He has been a Member since 3rd May 2007. 

Neil represents Bathavon South ward which includes the villages of Freshford, Hinton Charterhouse, Midford,Monkton Combe, Shoscombe, South Stoke - where he lives, and Wellow. He is a member of the Liberal Democrat Party, and has lived here since 2004. Previously, he had served as a Thamesdown/Swindon [from 1997] Borough councillor (St Margaret Ward: 1982-86, and Lawns Ward: 1995-2000) for a total of nine years; he also served for 12 years as a parish councillor (Wanborough and Covingham Parish Councils - 1976-88).  He was Chairman of Wanborough Parish Council in 1980-81, and the first-ever Chairman of Covingham Parish Council, when it was established independently, in 1983-4.

B&NES is a unitary authority - ie: it covers the functions of both a district and a county council, including planning, transportation, social services and education. Neil publicises his activities as a councillor through the FOCUS newsletter.  In addition however he communicates with large numbers of people in his ward through e-mail, sending out items of interest on an almost daily basis.  If you live in the ward, are interested in local news, and would like to be added to this list please write to him at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

He frequently attends local parish council meetings, when time permits.  "It is good to see first-hand what goes on in your ward if you want to help your residents", Neil says.

Other Council responsibilities:

*    Vice-Chairman of Parishes Liaison Committee

*    Member of Development Control Committee, and Reserve Member of Employment Committee.

He also takes a special interest in all rail matters, on behalf of Cllr Roger Symonds (Cabinet Member for Transport).

Outside appointments on behalf of Council:

*    Local Government Group Rural Commission

*    Somer Valley Partnership

*    World Heritage Enhancement Fund Committee.

By profession, Neil is a career railway manager - having worked at almost all levels of the industry, in various locations.  He began with a holiday job at Kensington Olympia in 1966 (Motorail services).  In 1970, after various other jobs whilst a student, he joined full-time as a Traffic Management Trainee at Bristol - the only one in BR Western Region's West of England Division.  His many subsequent jobs have included: Assistant Area Manager at Swindon; TOPS (Train Operations Processing - computer - System) national implementation team - and, later, Western Region manager; Western Region Management Services Assistant (based Reading); Personnel Research, Policy Unit, British Railways Board; Management Development & Training Officer, Freightliner; Overseas Training Consultant, Transmark; and Development/Commercial Manager and Deputy Head, The Grove Management Centre, Watford (now a five-star hotel).

He attended Magdalen College School, Brackley, Northamptonshire - a state boarding Grammar school.

He holds a London University BA degree in Psychology, Law & Economics, which he studied for externally at what is now Portsmouth University, a Diploma in Personnel Management from the University of Aston in Birmingham - for which he was awarded an SSRC Bursary, and an MBA degree in Business Development from City University Business School.  He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD).  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He also holds a Cambridge University CELTA Certificate (English Language Teaching - Adults), which he studied for at Bath College; and a University Certificate from the University of Bath.  At Portsmouth, he became President of the Psychology Society, Treasurer and then Secretary of the Liberal Society, and a member of the Cultural Committee.

He has also served on a number of secondments - to a local enterprise agency (Assistant Director, Bath Enterprise Ltd), a university (MSc Programme Director and Visiting Fellow, Salford), a professional institution (PA to President, Chartered Institute of Transport), and the Corporation of Lloyd's (Recruitment Consultant).

He has served as an External Examiner for both Middlesex and Kingston Universities; and as a Governor of Dorcan School - Swindon, and Ralph Allen School - Bath.

He served as Chairman of the Old Town Festival in Swindon during 2003-4, immediately prior to his move to Bath.

Since 1998 he has served as Secretary to the (Great Britain-wide) Railway Heritage Committee, a statutory body sponsored by the Department for Transport.  He works (full-time) partly from home and partly from an office in Bristol - Temple Quay House, which also happens to be the headquarters of the Planning Inspectorate.  The Railway Heritage Committee is however to be replaced by a new Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board, under the auspices of the Trustees of the Science Museum Group - Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) - in Spring 2013 (when Neil will be retiring).

Since 2011 he has served as an Officer of the Heritage Railway Association - and, as such, was appointed one of two Co-secretaries of a new All Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Rail.

In 1993, he produced and published a Historical Transport Map of Wiltshire - still sold at STEAM Museum, Swindon.

His first wife Sheila died in 2002.  He married his present wife Charlotte Moore, a local artist (studied at Chelsea and Falmouth Colleges of Art), in 2005 at the Roman Baths.  Charlotte, who exhibits regularly and is a member of the Bath Society of Artists, painted three of King Bladud's pigs for 2008, a baby elephant for London's 2010 'Elephant Parade', a lion for the 'Lions of Bath' 2010, and a swan for 'Swans of Wells' 2012http://www.swansofwells.com/p/inspiration.html.

Charlotte and Neil are both qualified Teachers of English as a Foreign Language, working through Living Leaving English.  Neil has little time for teaching himself these days, but helps as best he can - especially with Business English.

Neil and Charlotte (who was born in Brisbane, Australia, and also came to England at two year's old - see below) have five children between them, all grown-up.

His particular interests locally are similar to those of his well-known predecessor Gitte Dawson:

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  keeping our villages alive - encouraging local shops, pubs, post offices, and other important facilities
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  fighting off inappropriate development
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  getting traffic calming and speed limits
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  safeguarding and promoting public transport
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  promoting good-quality markets
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  pressing for sustainable decisions in whatever the Council does.

Neil is always keen to hear from residents - with problems he might help you solve, or just suggestions as to how things could be done better.  He, with help from Gitte and others, publishes a local newsletter - FOCUS (see above) - to keep residents informed.  If you would like to read the latest one, you may download it from the bottom of this page.  If you could help deliver FOCUS in your road, Neil would be very pleased to hear from you.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Further background details: Neil (full name Trelawny Neilson Butters) came to England from Durban, South Africa - where he was born - just before he was two years' old.  His parents had been born in India, although they had met in London.  He has lived in many parts of the Midlands (Cheltenham, Banbury area, Brackley, Birmingham), London (South Kensington, Battersea, Putney), and the South (Worthing, Winchester, Portsmouth/Gosport, Bristol, Swindon area).  He has one sister, who lives in Mantua, Italy.  Their mother died when he was 12, his sister 7- further to which they were brought up in a one-parent family.

A great uncle, Francis Neilson (formerly Francis Neilson Butters), was Liberal MP for Hyde, Cheshire, from 1910-16.  He resigned to publish a book critical of the First World War.

Neil has travelled widely: all over Europe, USA (four times), Australia (five times), New Zealand, southern Africa, South America - including Argentina and Uruguay, India and Nepal, and the Far East - including Tibet, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and (briefly) Japan.