Simon Coombs
Encyclopedia
Simon Christopher Coombs (born 21 February 1947), is a former British
Conservative
politician.
Coombs was MP
for Swindon
from 1983 until 1997 when the seat was divided by boundary changes. Coombs stood in the new Swindon South seat but lost to Labour
's Julia Drown
. He stood again for the seat in 2001, but was unsuccessful.
Coombs' Parliamentary term coincided with Swindon being the centre of a technology boom. Sir Tim Berners Lee developed the idea of the World Wide Web
while at the Science and Engineering Research Council
(SERC) in Swindon. Coombs served as Treasurer of PITCOM, the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee and as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rt. Hon Kenneth Baker
, MP, Minister of Information Technology in the Department of Trade and Industry, and as PPS to Baker during his 1984-85 term as Minister for the Environment. He later served as PPS to Rt. Hon Ian Lang
, MP during his terms as Secretary of State for Scotland (1992–1995) and President of the Board of Trade (1995–1997). Coombs also served as Parliamentary advisor to the UK Cable Television Association, representing at the time the constituency with the highest cable penetration in the country. He was also Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Tourism Committee and a member of the British Recording Industry Association's All-Party Parliamentary Group and the Select Committee on Employment. Since leaving Parliament, he has kept active in the music sphere as a trustee of the Ralph Vaughan Williams
Society and organizer of the Vaughan Williams exhibition in the composer's home village of Down Ampney
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Coombs was MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Swindon
Swindon (UK Parliament constituency)
Swindon was a parliamentary constituency in the town of Swindon in Wiltshire, England.It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from the 1918 general election until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.It was then replaced by the...
from 1983 until 1997 when the seat was divided by boundary changes. Coombs stood in the new Swindon South seat but lost to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
's Julia Drown
Julia Drown
Julia Kate Drown was the Labour member of Parliament for Swindon South, in south-west England, from 1997 until 2005.Drown was a National Health Service accountant before her election. A mother of young children, she was at the forefront of campaigns to make Parliament more child-friendly,...
. He stood again for the seat in 2001, but was unsuccessful.
Coombs' Parliamentary term coincided with Swindon being the centre of a technology boom. Sir Tim Berners Lee developed the idea of the World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
while at the Science and Engineering Research Council
Science and Engineering Research Council
The Science and Engineering Research Council used to be the UK agency in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities including astronomy, biotechnology and biological sciences, space research and particle physics...
(SERC) in Swindon. Coombs served as Treasurer of PITCOM, the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee and as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rt. Hon Kenneth Baker
Kenneth Baker
Kenneth Wilfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, CH, PC , is a British politician, a former Conservative MP and a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group.-Early life:...
, MP, Minister of Information Technology in the Department of Trade and Industry, and as PPS to Baker during his 1984-85 term as Minister for the Environment. He later served as PPS to Rt. Hon Ian Lang
Ian Lang
Ian Bruce Lang, Baron Lang of Monkton PC is a former British Conservative MP for Galloway from 1979 to 1983 and for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale from 1983 to 1997....
, MP during his terms as Secretary of State for Scotland (1992–1995) and President of the Board of Trade (1995–1997). Coombs also served as Parliamentary advisor to the UK Cable Television Association, representing at the time the constituency with the highest cable penetration in the country. He was also Chairman of the Conservative Backbench Tourism Committee and a member of the British Recording Industry Association's All-Party Parliamentary Group and the Select Committee on Employment. Since leaving Parliament, he has kept active in the music sphere as a trustee of the Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He was also a collector of English folk music and song: this activity both influenced his editorial approach to the English Hymnal, beginning in 1904, in which he included many...
Society and organizer of the Vaughan Williams exhibition in the composer's home village of Down Ampney
Down Ampney
Down Ampney is a medium-sized village located in Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, in England.It is off the A417 which runs between Cirencester and Faringdon on the A420, and about 5 km north of Cricklade,...
.