Jonathan's family are from Sheffield and Whitby, and he was born in Sheffield after his grandparents moved there in the 1960s to take up positions as headteachers at Hinde House and at Lydgate schools.
Brought up in the Hillsborough area of Sheffield, Jonathan attended Malin Bridge and then Myers Grove school just before David Blunkett's Labour council abolished its sixth form. He then went to Stirling University where he studied Computing Science and Japanese Language and briefly co-wrote, produced and presented a breakfast-time radio show for University Radio Airthry. He worked in Hong Kong for three years, as a teacher and then as a computer systems manager, before returning to Sheffield.
After joining the party in 1995 and campaigning to increase the Lib Dem membership of Sheffield City Council Jonathan was elected in 1999 in the elections that swept Labour from power, and served until 2010.
In 2005 and 2010 Jonathan was selected to stand against David Blunkett in Sheffield Brightside, one of the strongest Labour seats in the country. He met all his aims to ensure a strong LibDems share of the vote, increasing the LibDem share of the vote to 20%, and reducing Labour's majority.
Outside politics, Jonathan's interests include computing, genealogy and mapping - which has led him to produce several of his own maps. He has used this in various ways such as in submissions to planning applications, development reviews and to local and parliamentary boundary reviews.
Jonathan also a qualified electrician, has experience in building and property management, and was a school governor for 12 years.
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