# Colin Noble

Colin Lawrence Noble (born 10 June 1965) is a British politician of the Conservative Party. He was leader of the Suffolk Conservatives group and Leader of Suffolk County Council from May 2015 to May 2018.

## Political career

Noble joined the Conservative Party in 1984 and was a local branch activist from 1999. In 2002 Noble was elected Deputy Chairman Political of the West Suffolk Conservative Association; after three years he was elected Chairman for a 4 year term then vice-President and President. In 2011 Noble was appointed Chairman of Norwich North Conservative Association and stepped down in 2013 when Norwich North and Norwich South Conservative Associations formed a Federation.
In 2005 Noble was elected an officer of the Norfolk and Suffolk Conservative Area Executive then in 2008 Noble was elected Deputy Chairman Political. From 2011 to 2014, he was elected as the Norfolk and Suffolk Area Chairman. In 2014 Noble was elected Additional Officer of the Eastern Region Executive, in September 2017 Noble was elected Deputy Chairman (Political) and elected Regional Chairman for the Conservative Party from 2021 to 2024.
Noble was elected to the Conservative Councillors Association board in January 2019 and served on it as the county representative till January 2020.
In March 2019 he became a board member and Commissioner of the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise, an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department of Transport and served a three year term until 2023.

### County Council

He was first elected as a County Councillor at a by-election for the county electoral division of Row Heath in the constituency of West Suffolk on 8 June 2006. On 21 May 2009 Colin was appointed as Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and on 23 May 2013 he became Cabinet Member for Finance.
He became Leader of the Conservative group on Suffolk County Council on 7 April 2015. At the annual general meeting of Suffolk County Council on 21 May 2015 he was duly elected Leader of Suffolk County Council. At the Suffolk County Council Conservative leadership election held on 11 May 2018 Colin was defeated by County Councillor Matthew Hicks and left office as Leader of Suffolk County Council on 24 May 2018 at its Annual General Meeting.

### District Council

Noble was elected to Forest Heath District Council at the 2011 United Kingdom local elections as one of the two District Councillors for Lakenheath ward. He served until Forest Heath merged with St Edmundsbury in 2019, when he was unsuccessful in winning a seat in the new West Suffolk District Council. A by election victory in 2021 gave him an opportunity to return but he was again defeated in 2023.

## Personal life

Colin Noble was born in Newmarket, West Suffolk. His father, Lawrence Noble, died in a road accident in Suffolk in May 2016.
He attended school at King's Ely in Ely, Cambridgeshire. He lives with his partner Lisa in the village of Lakenheath in north-west Suffolk.

## Electoral history

Suffolk County Council elections: Row Heath By-Election 8th June 2006 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Noble | 1,222 | 61.5 | +20.7 |
| | UKIP | Ian Smith | 297 | 14.9 | +5.6 |
| | Labour | David Bowman | 219 | 11.0 | −11.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tim Huggan | 118 | 5.9 | −7.1 |
| | Independent | David Chandler | 110 | 5.5 | −9.3 |
| | Independent | David Hitchman | 22 | 1.1 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 925 | 46.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,988 | 27.0 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
2009 Suffolk County Council election: Row Heath 4th June 2009 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Colin Noble | 1,466 | 52.5 |
| | UKIP | Ian Smith | 842 | 30.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eleanor Minshall | 307 | 11 |
| | Labour | Thomas Caple | 178 | 6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 624 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2824 | 39 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | |
2013 Suffolk County Council election: Row Heath 2nd May 2013 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Noble | 1,104 | 43.43 | −9.1 |
| | UKIP | Ian Smith | 881 | 34.66 | |
| | Independent | David Gathercole | 284 | 11.17 | |
| | Labour | Pamela Brown | 197 | 7.75 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Eleanor Minshall | 76 | 2.99 | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 223 | 8.8 | −13.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2542 | 32.85 | −9.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
2017 Suffolk County Council election: Row Heath 4th May 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Noble | 1,362 | 52.4 | +9.1 |
| | Independent | David Gathercole | 383 | 14.7 | +3.5 |
| | Independent | John Smith | 379 | 14.6 | N/A |
| | Labour | Jack Fawbert | 313 | 12 | +4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ralph Brownie | 164 | 6.3 | +3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 979 | 37.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,601 | 32.3 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
2021 Suffolk County Council election: Row Heath 6th May 2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Colin Noble | 1,620 | 59.9 | +9.1 |
| | Labour | Theresa Chipulina | 387 | 14.3 | +4.2 |
| | Independent | Don Waldron | 369 | 13.6 | N/A |
| | Green Party (England and Wales) | Clare Unwin | 305 | 11.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1233 | 45.57 | +13.27 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2706 | 29.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
See also
* East of England Local Government Association
* Local government in Suffolk