Wikipedia

Paul Hopfensperger

Paul Hopfensperger (born 1963) is a British former politician. He served as the first Suffolk County Councillor for Tower Division from 2005 to 2009, and as the first West Suffolk Distric Councillor for St Olaves Ward from 2019 to 2023. He was the Deputy Mayor of Bury St Edmunds from 2005 to 2006 and from 2019 to 2020.

Paul Hopfensperger
Hopfensperger in 2008
Suffolk County Councillor
for Tower Division
In office
5 May 2005 – 4 June 2009
Preceded byNew Seat
Succeeded byMark Ereira-Guyer
West Suffolk District Councillor
for St Olaves Ward
In office
2 May 2019 – 4 May 2023
Preceded byNew Seat
Succeeded byFrank Stennett
St Edmundsbury Borough Councillor
for St Olaves Ward
In office
5 May 2011 – 2 May 2019
Preceded byMark Ereira-Guyer
Succeeded bySeat Abolished
Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor for St Olaves Ward
In office
5 May 2016 – 4 May 2023
Preceded byBob Cockle
Succeeded byFrank Stennett
Bury St Edmunds Town Councillor for Eastgate Ward
In office
6 June 2003 – 6 June 2006
Preceded byNew Seat
Succeeded byPatricia Warby
Deputy Mayor of Bury St Edmunds
In office
2019–2020
In office
2005 – April 2006
Personal details
Born (1963-03-27) 27 March 1963 (age 61)
Political partyIndependent (2008–present)
Other political
affiliations		Conservative (Before 2008)
SpouseRebecca (Beccy)
Alma materThe Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (now Anglia Ruskin University)
Websitewebsite

Hopfensperger was a member of the Conservative Party until 2008, when he became an independent.[1]

He is also an author, musician, and former open water swimmer.

Political career

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Hopfensperger unsuccessfully stood for election to St Edmundsbury Borough Council in 1999 and 2003 (losing by just 5 votes) before being co-opted into the newly formed Bury St Edmunds Town Council at its second ever meeting in June 2003, and serving as Deputy Mayor from 2005 until his resignation in April 2006.[2]

Hopfensperger was elected to the newly created Tower Division on Suffolk County Council in 2005 as a Conservative, serving as the Vice Chairman of the Roads and Transport Scrutiny Committee and Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, in February 2008 he left the party over it's policy to abolish the county's middle schools.[1] A month later he received a police caution under the Representation of the People Act during a by election for Bury St Edmunds Town Council for stating "It looks like Paul Farmer has done well" on his website after returning from the opening of the postal votes.[3][4]

Hopfensperger unsuccessfully ran for re-election to Suffolk County Council in 2009 in Hardwick Division, before winning a seat on St Edmundsbury Borough Council in 2011 which he held until 2023, by which time St Edmundsbury had merged with Forest Heath to become West Suffolk District Council.[5]

In the 2017 general election he nominated to run for Parliament in the Bury St Edmunds constituency[6] but he withdrew before the election for personal reasons. He did run in 2019[7] finishing 4th (of 4 candidates) with 2.7% of the vote.[8]

In 2021 Hopfensperger criticized the post-Brexit trading arrangements as a "complete and utter disaster". He said, "If anyone tells me 'we knew what we were voting for' I say to them you certainly didn't know what you were voting for."[9]

Elections contested

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UK Parliament elections

Date of election Constituency Party Votes % Result
2019 Bury St Edmunds Independent 1,694 2.7 Not elected (4th)

Suffolk County Council elections

Date of election Division Party Votes % Result
2005 Tower Conservative 2,747 28.3 Elected
2009 Hardwick Independent 824 28.8 Not elected (2nd)
2013 Hardwick Independent 737 27.7 Not elected (2nd)
2017 Tower Independent 1,623 20.3 Not elected (3rd)

Borough and District Council elections

Date of election Ward Party Votes % Result
1999 Risbygate Conservative 442 39.7 Not elected (3rd)
2003 Southgate Conservative 744 48.1 Not elected (2nd)
2011 St Olaves Independent 421 33.6 Elected
2015 St Olaves Independent 835 37.8 Elected
2019 St Olaves Independent 680 50.9 Elected

Bury St. Edmunds Town Council elections

Date of election Ward Party Votes % Result
2003 Eastgate Independent Co-opted (voted in by members of the council)
2016 St Olaves Independent 288 46.7 Elected[10]
2019 St Olaves Independent 712 53.3 Elected[11]

Swimming career

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During his youth, Hopfensperger was a competitive swimmer representing his home town of Bury St Edmunds and the county of Suffolk, including captaining the Bury St Edmunds Swimming Club ('The Bury Beavers') on three occasions between 1978 and 1981.[12][13]

Hopfensperger has completed two solo crossings of The English Channel in 2007[14] and 2008,[15][16] making him the 84th person in history to swim the channel more than once).[12] He also participated in one relay in 2010 as part of the six person 'Team Iryna International English Channel Relay Team'.[17][12]

Hopfensperger's first swim in 2007 was broadcast live from the English Channel by reporter Jon Wright for BBC Radio Suffolk. Updates were broadcast throughout the day for the duration of the 13 hour 52 minute swim.[18] His swim was also featured in the first episode of the Discovery Channel documentary series Human Body: Pushing the Limits.[19][14][13]

In 2008 Hopfensperger competed at two FINA Open Water Grand Prix,[20] becoming oldest known person to represent Great Britain in the sport of open water swimming.[21][13]

Personal life

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Hopfensperger (far left) on Eggheads

Hopfensperger's wife Rebecca is currently a West Suffolk District and Suffolk County Council councillor and the former Mayor of Bury St Edmunds (2005 - 2006).[22]

In 2010 Hopfensperger appeared on the quiz show Eggheads where he captained a team of 6 English Channel swimmers called "Channel Buoys and Gulls". The team included swimmer Kevin Murphy.[23]

During the COVID pandemic, Hopfensperger co-authored a book with various speakers including Kyle Wilson, Denis Waitley, and Tom Ziglar titled Bringing Value, Solving Problems and Leaving a Legacy. The book became an International #1 Amazon Bestseller.[24][25][26]

Hopfensperger also released a song entitled 'Just Keep Swimming Until You Get To France!' based on his experience of swimming the Channel, which also hit number one on the Amazon chart.[24]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1978 Home in England Himself - Working in his father's shop 30 Minute BBC Documentary featuring his late Father Johann Hopfensperger
2008 Human Body: Pushing the Limits Himself - English Channel Swimmer Episode 1: "Strength"
2010 Eggheads (game show) Himself - Captain of an English Channel Swimmers team. Series 11, Episode 73, 'Channel Buoys and Gulls'[27][28]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Top Tory quits in middle schools protest". eadt.co.uk. East Anglian Daily Times. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Town's deputy mayor quits". East Anglian Daily Times. 28 April 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  3. ^ Laurence Cawley (28 April 2008). "Leading councillor given police caution". eadt.co.uk. East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Candidate receives police caution". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ Rhoda Morrison (6 October 2019). "Deputy mayor of Bury St Edmunds Cllr Paul Hopfensperger accuses town council of breaking the rules". suffolknews.co.uk. Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated" (PDF). West Suffolk Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2017.
  7. ^ Rhoda Morrison (19 October 2019). "Deputy mayor of Bury St Edmunds and Independent councillor Paul Hopfensperger announces plans to run for MP in next general election". suffolknews.co.uk. Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Bury St Edmunds Parliamentary constituency". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  9. ^ Dan Barker (22 March 2021). "Brexit trade deal branded 'complete and utter disaster' by Bury St Edmunds councillor". suffolknews.co.uk. Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  10. ^ Ian Gallin. "Election of a Town Councillor for St. Olaves Ward on May 05, 2016" (PDF). westsuffolk.gov.uk. West Suffolk Council. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  11. ^ Ian Gallin. "Election of a Town Councillor for St. Olaves Ward on May 02, 2019" (PDF). westsuffolk.gov.uk. West Suffolk Council. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Paul Hopfensperger - Channel swimmer". dover.uk.com. Dover.UK. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "Paul Hopfensperger - Openwaterpedia". www.openwaterpedia.com. Steven Munatones. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b "On Tuesday July 10, 2007 I swam to France".
  15. ^ "A long night in the English Channel - England to France, September 11-12, 2008, 13 Hours 03 Minutes".
  16. ^ "Councillor plans new channel challenge". eadt.co.uk. East Anglian Daily Times. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Team Iryna International English Channel Relay Team".
  18. ^ Jon Wright (2 July 2007). "Absolutely fantastic". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Human Body - Strength". dailymotion.com. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Paul Hopfensperger - Athlete". worldaquatics.com. World Aquatics. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Paul Hopfensperger Swimming Achievements 2008" (PDF). bodyandmindstudio.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Beccy Hopfensperger". suffolk.gov.uk. Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  23. ^ ""Channel Buoys and Gulls" on Eggheads". hoffyswims.com. Paul Hopfensperger. August 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  24. ^ a b Rhoda Morrison (1 October 2021). "Bury St Edmunds councillor Paul Hopfensperger celebrates two Amazon #1 best-sellers with co-authored book and song". suffolknews.co.uk. Iliffe Media Publishing Ltd. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  25. ^ Bringing Value, Solving Problems and Leaving a Legacy. ASIN 1735742813.
  26. ^ "About Paul Hopfensperger". paulhopfensperger.com. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  27. ^ "ABC Television Australia - Eggheads - Channel Buoys and Gulls". abc.net.au. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Hoffy Swims - Swimming Blog". Paul Hopfensperger. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2024.


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