Before entering Parliament, Dillon was a social housing senior manager. He served as the mayor of Thatcham from 2010 to 2012 and the leader of West Berkshire Council from 2023 to 2024.
Dillon was elected to Thatcham Town Council in 2007 and represents the ward of Thatcham North East.[3][4] He served two terms as mayor from 2010 to 2012, and was the town's youngest mayor when first elected at the age of 27.[5][6]
Dillon has served as a member of West Berkshire Council from 2007 to 2011 and since 2015, representing Thatcham North East and previously Thatcham North.[7][8][9] At the 2023 election, the Liberal Democrats assumed majority control of West Berkshire Council,[10][11] and Dillon was subsequently elected leader of the council on 25 May.[12] He took sabbatical leave from the role on 1 February 2024[13] before resigning as leader on 30 April to focus on his campaign for the forthcoming general election.[14]
In 2023, Dillon was re-selected as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Newbury.[17] He went on to win the constituency at the 2024 general election with 40.1 per cent of the vote, winning the seat for the Liberal Democrats for the first time since the 2001 general election.[18][19] He gained the seat from the Conservative incumbent, Laura Farris.[20]
Personal life
Dillon grew up in Thatcham, where his family owns a local pub.[21] He has a wife and young children. His father was a trade union official.[21][22]
