News / Lord Mayor of Bristol

Lib Dem councillor to become next lord mayor of Bristol

By Mia Vines Booth  Sunday Mar 10, 2024

Liberal Democrat Andrew Varney will replace Paul Goggin as the next lord mayor of Bristol.

Varney has been a Lib Dem councillor for Brislington West since 2021, and previously served as deputy lord mayor of Bristol from 2021 to 2022.

The lord mayor carries out around 800 engagements a year, from major civic events such as the annual Remembrance Sunday parade and service to meeting, supporting and connecting local communities and organisations.

Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
Keep our city's journalism independent.

The current lord mayor, Paul Goggin, who is a Labour councillor for Hartcliffe and Withywood, was elected to the role last year, and recently took some time away from civic life due to a serious illness.

Andrew will take up the position of lord mayor following the local elections in May.

Born and brought up in Weston-super-Mare, Andrew’s father, David, was originally from Bristol and his mother, Valerie, was from Bath.

After graduating from university in Plymouth and Oxford, he spent a number of years teaching overseas in Hong Kong, Japan, and Ireland.

In 2008, he returned to the West Country settling first in Knowle and then Brislington, where he now lives with his partner, Robbie.

Speaking about the announcement, he said: “I am absolutely honoured and delighted to have been selected to represent our beautiful city of Bristol as the next lord mayor. Coming from a humble background, it is certainly a position I never expected to have.”

“I am a teacher at an international school in Clifton. One aspect of my job I enjoy, is meeting people from all over the world and learning about different cultures.

“I also love the fact that Bristol is such a great multicultural city and I am looking forward to meeting as many people as possible and celebrating this city’s wonderful diversity during my year as lord mayor.”

Main photo: Andrew Varney

Read next:

Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
I want to receive (tick as many as you want):
I'm interested in (for future reference):
Marketing Permissions

Bristol24/7 will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

We will only use your information in accordance with our privacy policy, which can be viewed here - main-staging.bristol247.com/privacy-policy/ - you can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at meg@bristol247.com. We will treat your information with respect.


We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Related articles

You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Independent journalism
is needed now More than ever
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Join the Better
Business initiative
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
* prices do not include VAT
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Enjoy delicious local
exclusive deals
You've read %d articles this month
Consider becoming a member today
Wake up to the latest
Get the breaking news, events and culture in your inbox every morning