Mark Heath awarded MBE for Services to Local Government

16 Jun 2025

We are proud to share that our colleague Mark Heath has been awarded an MBE in the King's birthday honours in recognition of his outstanding public service to local government and elections over the past three decades.

Mark has played a pivotal role in the democratic process, serving as the Local Returning Officer for Southampton from 1994 to 2024, and taking on key leadership roles in regional and national elections. These include the South East Regional Returning Officer for the European Parliamentary Elections (2009, 2014, 2019), the Regional Counting Officer for the AV Referendum (2011) and EU Referendum (2016), and the Police Area Returning Officer for Hampshire across four PCC elections.

Mark has also contributed extensively to electoral law and policy through his work with government and the Electoral Commission. He has also led national reviews, lectured widely and been a longstanding source of guidance and support for Returning Officers through his role as the SOLACE lead on elections.

A solicitor and former Monitoring Officer at Southampton City Council, Mark has been a valued member of the team as a Consultant at VWV since 2016, where he specialises in public sector governance and electoral law.

Reflecting on the award, Mark said:

I'm absolutely thrilled to have been awarded an MBE. It's a huge acknowledgement of the importance of everyone involved in running elections - from Returning Officers and administrators to the countless others who make democracy happen. I'm incredibly grateful to all those I've worked with across government, the Electoral Commission, SOLACE, AEA - and especially to the brilliant elections team in Southampton, past and present.

Mark Heath MBE

Alison Cook, Head of Public of Sector at VWV commented "I'm absolutely delighted to see Mark's commitment to local government recognised with an MBE. His contribution to public service has been truly exceptional."

We are delighted to see Mark's expertise and commitment recognised at the highest level. Congratulations, Mark.