Welcome to Mark Cooper's website which documents his work as one of Romsey's longest standing Councillors. Mark has dedicated over 20 years to serving the people of Romsey Town and the Ward of Tadburn and today is still the Romsey Town Councillor, the Tadburn Councillor for Test Valley Borough Council and the Romsey Division Councillor for Hampshire County Council.

During this time Mark has also held the privileged position of Romsey Town Mayor twice and stood as Romsey's parliamentary candidate. Behind all the various titles though, there is a lot of hard work and through this website we plan to keep you up to date with Mark's current portfolio of work and his campaigns on behalf of the people of Romsey. Alongside this the website will catalogue the many projects that Mark has been involved in over the years which have helped preserve and shape the Romsey we know today.

Born in Southampton, Mark was educated at Taunton’s School, St Mary’s College, Southampton and then University of Leeds where he did a B.A.Hons and a PGCE.

After his first job as a Planning Assistant in Auckland, New Zealand, Mark returned to the UK later taking up a teaching post at his old college, St Mary's, where he later went on to become Head of the Geography Department, and then Head of Economics & Geography.

Mark is first and foremost a family man. Married to Dr Sue Tippett, co-founder of Romsey’s Nightingale Surgery, they have lived in The Thicket, Romsey for 26 years. When they moved to Romsey in 1976 they bought a house in Kinver Close, on the Great Woodley estate which they soon outgrew with the arrival of their five sons, Geoff, George, John, Charlie & Pete. Their sons have variously attended Halterworth School, The Mountbatten School and Peter Symonds Sixth Form College.

Outside of family activities Mark is the Founding Chairman of Montfort Hall Community Association where he presided over the building of the new Montfort Hall in 1992. He was a Governor of The Mountbatten School between 1985-1995 and a Director of Valley Leisure from 1995-2005. Today Mark is still a Trustee of Kents Almshouses, the Romsey Bandstand Trustee and a Life Member of Romsey and District Society. In 2007 Mark ended 10 years of service to the CAB Management Ctte, but has kept up his close association with education as a School Governor at the Romsey Community School and Romsey Primary School.

When he does have a few spare minutes to himself Mark has a passion for reading, especially material with a maritime and Royal Navy theme; philately - specialising in Machin Head varieties. His interest in photography has grown from family portraits to providing photos for various publications in the town over the years and when he wants to escape the tensions and anxieties of political life Mark can be found indulging in cars, which results in a struggle with his green conscience, and gardening, which does not.