Pete Marland, Chairman of Milton Keynes Council

Pete Marland was born in Burnley and grew up in Bacup, educated at the local grammar school. He declined an Oxbridge place and studied politics at Liverpool University. Given Labour Party membership by his family as a birthday present aged 14, he wasn’t actually active in politics at that time. Moving briefly to Gloucestershire after University, he then moved back to Lancashire and acted as intern for a Labour MP, which then became employment. When the MP became a Minister in 2007, Pete was asked to continue his role, but needed to be willing to work in London, so he moved to Milton Keynes, where his girlfriend had just got a job, and commuted.