History
Neill attended Abbs Cross Technical High School, Abbs Cross Lane, Hornchurch, and took a degree at the London School of Economics. He was later a councillor in the London Borough of Havering, served as Greater London Council member for Romford 1985-86. He previously stood for the Dagenham parliamentary constituency in 1983, at the age of 30, coming within 2,997 votes of winning the historically Labour seat from Bryan Gould MP. He also stood for election in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1994 and 1998.
Neill was first elected to the London Assembly in the 2000 assembly election, and served as the Conservative member for Bexley and Bromley from 2000 until 2008. He served as Leader of the Conservative Group on the Assembly from 2000 to 2002 and again from 2004.
He is also a member of the EU's Committee of the Regions, and a member of the European People's Party - European Democrats. A pro-European, he supported former Conservative Chancellor Kenneth Clarke in both of his bids for the leadership of the Conservative Party.
A Freemason, he is a member of the Greater London Lodge. His wife was a Southend Conservative Councillor and former Mayor, Daphne White. Neill said in a parliamentary debate that his election to Parliament allowed his wife to live "every Essex girl's dream: wake up in Kent".
Read more about this topic: Bob Neill
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