Wikipedia

Rodney Berman

Rodney Simon Berman OBE is a Liberal Democrat politician, currently a councillor for the Penylan ward of Cardiff. He was formerly a councillor for Plasnewydd ward, and was also leader of Cardiff Council between 2004 and 2012.

Rodney Berman
OBE
Berman in 2021
Cardiff Councillor for Penylan
incumbent
Assumed office
2017
Leader of Cardiff Council
In office
2004–2012
Preceded byRussell Goodway
Succeeded byHeather Joyce
Cardiff Councillor for Plasnewydd
In office
2004-2012
Personal details
BornRodney Simon Berman
1969 (age 56–57)
Glasgow, Scotland
PartyLiberal Democrat
Spouse
Nick Speed
​
(m. 2006)​
University of Glasgow (BSc, PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsPharmacology, physiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Wales College of Medicine
British Medical Association
ThesisModulation of Endothelial Barrier Function (1994)

Early life and education

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Born and raised in Glasgow,[1] Berman attended Woodfarm High School before studying pharmacology at the University of Glasgow, graduating with a BSc and a PhD.[2][3] At university, he was involved in student politics[4] and helped run Glasgow University Liberal Democrats.[citation needed] In 1994, he moved to Wales for a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Wales, College of Medicine, now part of Cardiff University.[5][4]

Political career

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Berman stood for election to Parliament as Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for Rhondda and Cardiff South and Penarth in 1997 and 2001, respectively, coming third on each occasion.[6] His agent for the Rhondda seat was Professor Russell Deacon.

In 2004 Berman became leader of a minority administration on Cardiff Council. In 2006, Berman was the first winner of the Local Politician of the Year award.[7]

The local elections of 2008 saw the Liberal Democrats increase their representation, winning new seats in the east (Trowbridge), west (Llandaff) and south of the city (Butetown). They were still in a minority on the council so they made a deal to run the Cardiff Council jointly with Plaid Cymru, under Berman's leadership.[8]

In the 2012 council elections, the Liberal Democrats lost control of Cardiff Council to Welsh Labour, and Berman also lost his seat after two recounts.[9]

Berman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to local government and the community in Cardiff.[10]

Berman returned to local politics to fight the 2017 Cardiff Council election and succeeded in securing a seat on the council, representing the Penylan Ward.[11][12]

At the 2021 Senedd election, he was the Lib Dem candidate for Cardiff Central,[13] coming second to Jenny Rathbone.[14] He also stood on the list vote for the South Wales Central region.[15] He stood for election in the Cardiff East constituency for the 2024 UK general election, coming second with 17.2% of the vote.[16] He stood in the 2026 Senedd election in the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf constituency but was not selected.[17][18]

Berman was campaign manager for former Member of the Senedd and Minister Baroness Jenny Randerson (1948–2025) and saw her as a "terrific mentor" in his political career.[19]

Personal life

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In August 2006, Berman entered into a civil partnership with his partner, former ITV News journalist Nick Speed.[20] He is Jewish.[21]

In addition to being a councillor, since 2013, Berman has been working as senior policy executive at the British Medical Association, which involves "providing policy support and advice to doctors".[11][1]

References

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  • Balsom, Denis. The Wales Yearbook 2007. Francis Balsom Associates Limited. 2006 ISBN 1-901862-65-8
  1. 1 2 Mosalski, Ruth (28 March 2021). "Senedd election 2021: Who is standing in Cardiff Central?". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Mosalski, Ruth (10 November 2019). "The General Election 2019 candidates standing in Rhondda". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Rodney Berman - Vote 2001 Candidates". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  4. 1 2 James, David (8 April 2008). "Berman: You can't let criticism stop you doing the job". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "Rodney Berman loses out in bid to become AM". Wales Online. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2026.
  6. ↑ "Rodney Berman: Electoral history and profile". The Guardian. London. 14 August 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2006.
  7. ↑ "Hain wins top title for work in Wales and N Ireland". WalesOnline. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  8. ↑ "Cardiff and Conwy coalition deals". BBC News. 16 May 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  9. ↑ "Cardiff council's Rodney Berman toppled in cull of leaders". BBC News. 4 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 9.
  11. 1 2 "Cardiff's former council leader Rodney Berman is making a comeback bid". WalesOnline. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  12. ↑ "Councillor details - Councillor Rodney Berman OBE". cardiff.moderngov.co.uk. 18 October 2020.
  13. ↑ Pitcher, Lowri (5 May 2021). "Is this hyper-marginal seat the best hope for a Lib Dem constituency gain?". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Seabrook, Alex (7 May 2021). "The full Senedd election 2021 result for Cardiff Central". WalesOnline. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Berman, Rodney. "Rodney Berman selected to fight Cardiff Central for the 2021 Senedd elections". Cardiff Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 13 September 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "Cardiff East - General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  17. ↑ Mansfield, Mark (5 April 2025). "Welsh Lib Dems announce candidates for key Senedd seats in 2026". Nation.Cymru. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  18. ↑ Ali, Rahaf; Mosalski, Ruth (8 May 2026). "Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf election results in full". Wales Online.
  19. ↑ "Welsh Lib Dem Baroness Jenny Randerson dies aged 76". BBC News. 5 January 2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Partnership ceremony for Berman and partner". WalesOnline. 30 March 2013.
  21. ↑ Waldram, Hannah (10 November 2010). "Councillor suspended following Nazi comments". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
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