Contact details
Westminster
House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
Tel: 020 7219 3098
topeg@parliament.uk
Biography
Electoral history
MP (Liberal) Sutton and Cheam 7 December 1972 by-election to February 1974. Contested (Liberal) Sutton and Cheam February and October 1974 general elections
Parliamentary career
Liberal Spokesperson for Environment 1972-74
Lords career
Liberal Democrat:
Spokesperson for Education 1994-2000,
Assistant Whip 1998-2000,
Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government 2008-10
Party groups
Member, Liberal Party National Council 1970-76;
National League of Young Liberals:
Vice-chair 1971-73,
President 1973-75;
President, London Liberal Democrats 1991-2000
Councils, public bodies
London Borough of Sutton:
Councillor 1974-,
Leader, Liberal (later Liberal Democrat) Group 1974-99,
Opposition Leader 1984-86,
Council Leader 1986-99,
Executive Councillor for Community Safety Leisure and Libraries 1999-2012;
Member, London Fire and Civil Defence Authority 1995-97;
Vice-President, Local Government Association 1997-2005;
Vice-chair, Association of London Government 1997-2000;
London Assembly:
Member 2000-08,
Leader, Liberal Democrat Group 2000-06,
Member, Metropolitan Police Authority 2000-08,
Chair, Finance 2000-08,
Mayor of London Cabinet 2000-04;
Member:
Croydon Strategic Partnership Board 2002-08,
Sutton Strategic Partnership Board 2003-12,
Safer Croydon Partnership Board 2004-08,
Safer Sutton Partnership Board:
Member 2004-12,
Chair 2009-12;
Chair, Local Government Group for Europe 2005-
International bodies
EU Committee of the Regions:
Member 1994-,
Vice-chair, UK Delegation 1996-,
Bureau member 1996-,
President:
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Group 1998-2002,
Constitutional Affairs and European Governance Commission 2002-04,
Political co-ordinator, ALDE Group 2007-,
Member, Political Monitoring Group 2008-10,
Western Balkans Working Group 2008-;
Member, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe, Council of Europe 1996-2000;
Rapporteur, Smarter Regulation 2010-11;
Member, EU High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens, European Commission 2011-
Political interests
Local government, Europe, London
Countries of interest
Bermuda, EU, Western Balkans
Name, style and title
Raised to the peerage as Baron Tope, of Sutton in the London Borough of Sutton 1994
Register of Interests
2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.
Councillor, London Borough of Sutton (allowances)
London Councils Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Culture
Member, Local Government Association European and International Programme Board
Member, EU High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens (daily allowance and reimbursement of travel expenses)
Member, EU Committee of the Regions (allowances)
10: Non-financial interests (a)
Local Government International Bureau
10: Non-financial interests (b)
London Library Change Programme Board
Sutton Partnership Board (LSP)
Chair, Safer Sutton Partnership Board (CDRP)
Nonsuch Park Joint Management Committee