About Me

An effective voice for our Voluntary Party, based on experience and delivering results

Political Experience

  • Chairman of the National Conservative Convention and Deputy Chairman of the Party Board (2024-present)
  • Vice President of the National Conservative Convention and member of the Party Board (2023-2024)
  • Regional Chairman, South West (2020-2023)
  • Area Chairman/Deputy Chairman, Surrey (2014-2019)
  • Association Chairman/Deputy Chairman, Reigate & Banstead (2012-2019)
  • Party Membership Committee (2018-2021)
  • Party Finance & Audit Committee and Investment Committee (2021-present)
  • Trustee, Conservative Agents’ Superannuation Fund (2023-present)
  • Parliamentary Candidate Assessor (2023)
  • Borough Councillor, Reigate & Banstead (2000-2019) – various roles held, including Cabinet member, Deputy Leader and Deputy Mayor

My Record

  • In my first year on the Party Board I made over 130 visits across the country, largely focussed in the two regions I have been allocated to support (North West and West Midlands), covering nearly 16,000 miles.  As well as directly supporting campagining, fundraising or AGMs on these visits, I have also made a point of speaking to as many local activists and staff as possible, finding out what is going well or badly for them.  These conversations are invaluable to enabling me to provide quality input to the Board, Committees and CCHQ staff.
  • Promoting the takeup and training of Volunteer Engagement Officers – a key long term role to help us strengthen our volunteer base.
  • As an Association Chairman I led a General Election Fighting Fund which not only covered our own campaign costs, but raised a further £30,000, donated to 12 target seats.
  • I have co-ordinated campaign support from a safe seat to nearby target seats, at every General Election between 2005 and 2017, contributing to the gaining of Guildford and Sutton & Cheam.
  • When I was an Area Chairman I persuaded all Associations in the Area to donate towards a target seat fund.
  • I have set up and run region wide training courses as a Regional Training Co-ordinator.
  • I led the team which ran a fully virtual South West Region Conference during COVID, and then successfully reverted to a physical format, with nearly 250 attendees, raising over £10,000.
  • I built on the success of the South West “Big Clean” litter picking event, generating positive coverage for our MPs, PCCs, councillors and candidates across the region.

My Background

I grew up on a farm in Cornwall, went to secondary school in Devon, and then studied at Oxford.

After university I moved to Surrey, where I worked and qualified as an actuary, alongside being a Borough Councillor for 19 years.  Whilst on the Council I held cabinet roles for voluntary sector relations, refuse and recycling, and the Council’s internal services.  I was also Deputy Leader of the Council for a time, Conservative Group Leader and in my final year, Deputy Mayor.

Although I have focussed my career in the Party on campaigning and strengthening our voluntary organisation rather than policy, in the field of policy I feel most strongly that we need a dynamic, free economy (and have supported the Adam Smith Institute for many years), devolution of powers to local areas, and strong defence coupled with multilateral relationships around the globe.

I now live in Bristol, where I am a director of a small mutual insurance company, specialising in life, pensions and protection insurance. I live with my two Boston terriers, Gwen and Rufus, and in any spare time beyond politics I enjoy reading, running, watching sport and savouring a decent pint.

I am delighted to endorse Julian

I am delighted to endorse Julian as I can think of no-one better to become Chairman of the National Convention. He is steeped in the voluntary party, understands the members’ needs and already represents them effectively at the Party Board – we will all benefit from his pragmatic leadership.

Julian Ellacott

An effective voice for our Voluntary Party.

© 2024 Julian Ellacott