David Austick

Who was David Austick?

David Austick was a British Liberal Party politician and bookshop owner.

At a by-election in July 1973 caused by the death of the sitting Conservative MP Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott, Austick was elected Member of Parliament for Ripon in North Yorkshire, gaining the seat from the Conservatives by a majority of 946 votes. However, it was a short-lived success. In the February 1974 general election, Austick lost by 4,335 votes to the new Conservative candidate Keith Hampson after seven months as an MP.

Austick was never again elected an MP, but he also served as a district and county councillor in Yorkshire and was one time Chairman of the Liberal Candidates' Association. He later became Executive Chairman of the Electoral Reform Society.