David Mackintosh (politician)

David Mackintosh MP
Member of Parliament for Northampton South
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2015
Preceded by	Brian Binley
Majority	3,793 (9.8%)
Leader of the Northampton Borough Council
In office 7 November 2011 – 10 October 2013
Deputy	Mary Markham
Preceded by	David Palethorpe
Succeeded by	Mary Markham
Northampton Borough Councillor for Rectory Farm
In office 9 May 2011 – 11 May 2015
Preceded by	???
Succeeded by	James Hill
Personal details
Born	2 April 1979 Northampton, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Alma mater	Durham University

David James Mackintosh (born 2 April 1979) is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Northampton South since the May 2015 general election.^[1] Prior to his election to Parliament, he worked as a political consultant in the European Parliament and the Conservative Party before being elected to the County and Borough councils, rising to become Leader of Northampton Borough Council in 2011.

Education

Mackintosh was educated at Roade School, a state comprehensive school in Roade in Northamptonshire, followed by Durham University ^[2] where he studied Politics.^[3]

Political career

After graduating in 2001, Mackintosh worked as a political counsellor in the European Parliament until 2004, before moving to Conservative Campaign Headquarters to work as a political consultant to the Conservative Party. He was elected to Northamptonshire County Council for Ecton Brook on 4 June 2009 and to Northampton Borough Council for Rectory Farm in 2011. In May 2010, Mackintosh was appointed as Cabinet Member for Strategy, Communications and External Relations. He had previously held the position of Assistant Cabinet Member for Leadership and Strategic Support.^[4] He served as leader of Northampton Borough Council - the youngest the council has ever had - from November 2011 until his election to Parliament. In addition to this, he has served as cabinet member for Community Services.^[5]

Controversies

Sale of Sekhemka statue

In July 2014, while Leader of Northampton Borough Council, Mackintosh was responsible for the controversial sale of the Sekhemka statue which resulted in the Arts Council removing accreditation from the Northampton Museums.^[6]

Unsecured Council loan to property developer

In November 2015, both the BBC and The Guardian newspaper reported that Howard Grossman, the director of a company responsible for rebuilding Northampton Town’s new football stadium had provided a £6,195 undeclared payment to Mackintosh’s election campaign. In September 2013, while Macintosh was still leader, the council provided an unsecured loan to the company which went into administration owing them millions of pounds.^{[7] [8]} The BBC reported that police had started an investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the loan.

References

1. "Northampton South parliamentary constituency - Election 2015 - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
2. "UK Polling Report - Northampton South". UK Polling Report. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
3. "Northamptonshire County Council - David Mackintosh profile". Northamptonshire County Council. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
4. "Councillor David Mackintosh". South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP). Retrieved 2 December 2015.
5. Carr, Tim; Dale, Iain; Waller, Robert (25 June 2015). The Politicos Guide to the New House of Commons 2015: Profiles of the New MPs and Analysis of the 2015 General Election Results. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 1849549230.
6. "Arts Council Announces Date For Review of Northampton Museums Accreditation". Northampton Herald and Post. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
7. Julian Sturdy and Matt Precey (25 November 2015). "MP's party received payment from Northampton Town developer". BBC news. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
8. David Conn (25 November 2015). "Northampton loan inquiry widens to include donation to Conservative MP David Mackintosh". Guardian newspapers. Retrieved 6 December 2015.