I was born and raised in Beccles, where I attended local schools. I was a student at Westminster College, Oxford, where I gained a degree in Theology and was elected President of the Student Union. It was from this that my interest in politics was established. On returning to Beccles, I was elected to the Town Council in 1991. I served as Deputy Mayor in my first term and, a few years later, as Town Mayor.
I work for the Conservative Party as a Constituency Agent, something I have done now for more than 25 years.
In 1998, I was elected to Waveney District Council and served as a District Councillor for 21 years. I was Leader of the Council for nine years, longer than anyone else in the Council's history. I also served as Chairman of the Council for a year. I was part of the project which created the new East Suffolk Council, which was established in April 2019.
In 2005, I was elected as a Suffolk County Councillor for Beccles. Over the last 15 years I have been Chairman of the Scrutiny Committee and from 2011-2015 was Leader of Suffolk County Council.
I remain passionate about my work as a Councillor and for the Beccles Division, which is where I live and have my roots. Suffolk is a wonderful County and we should never take for granted the beautiful environment in which we live.
I can be contacted at Mark.Bee@suffolk.gov.uk
