Neil Hughes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neil Hughes is a retired British Liberal Democrat councillor. From 1964 to 2026, he was one of fourteen participants whose lives were documented in the Up documentary film series.
Neil Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Councillor, Hackney South and Shoreditch (Wick ward) | |
| In office 27 June 1996 – 12 October 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Hoye |
| Succeeded by | Jessica Webb |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1956 (age 69–70) Liverpool, England |
| Party | Liberal Democrat |
| Education | University of Aberdeen (dropped out) |
Early life
Hughes was born in Liverpool, the son of teacher parents.[1][2] He attended University of Aberdeen, but dropped out after the first term.[2]
Career
Up
In 1964, when Hughes was seven years old, he was one of fourteen paricipants chosen to be filmed for an episode of World in Action, documenting the lives of seven-year olds, which would eventually evolve into the Up series. Hughes appeared in all ten adaptations.
Politics
Hughes first became a supporter of the Liberal Democrat when the party first began in 1982.[3] In his early forties, Hughes began a career in politics. Hughes was elected to Wick ward in Hackney South and Shoreditch in 1996, with 870 votes; he was re-elected in 1998 with 1,233 votes and held the position until 12 October 2000, when he resigned.[4][5][6][7]
In 2003, Hughes was elected councillor the village of Shap and by 2005, he was a district councillor for Eden District.[8][9][10] Hughes stood unsuccessfully twice for two general elections:[2] he first for Stockton North in 2005 and for Carlisle in 2010.[11][12]
In 2005 and 2009, he was the runner up for candidate for Eden Lakes, but eventually was eventually elected in 2013 following new divisions, and was re-elected in 2017.[13][14][15]
Hughes was elected to Westmorland and Furness Council in 2022.[16] In 2024, Hughes retired as councillor for Eamont and Shap, after serving for twenty-one years, due to health reasons.[17][18]
Personal life
Around the time he was twenty-one, he was living in a squat in London, and by twenty-eight, was homeless in Scotland, and by thirty-five was housed in Shetland Islands, where he wrote and appeared in local pantomines.[19] By the age of forty-two, he was back in London, living in an apartment with Bruce Balden, a fellow Up participant.[2] Hughes has struggled with mental health problems for most of his adulthood.[19]
Hughes has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Open University.[2]