Phyllis Stedman, Baroness Stedman

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Phyllis Stedman, Baroness Stedman OBE (birth name: Phyllis Adams ; born July 14, 1916 in Peterborough , Cambridgeshire ; † June 8, 1996 ibid.) Was a British politician of the Labor Party and most recently the Social Democratic Party (SDP) , which was named Life in 1974 peeress due to the 1958 Life peerages Act member of the house of Lords was, and between 1988 and 1991 chairman of the faction of the SDP in the upper house ( Leader of the SDP in the house of Lords was).

Life

Education, World War II and local politician

Phyllis Adams worked as a librarian after attending Peterborough Grammar School and became involved in the union through her father's influence . In 1934, at the age of 18, she first took part in a trade union congress as a delegate. After the outbreak of World War II , she joined the National Fire Service (NFS), founded in 1941, and between 1941 and 1944 was a group officer of the 2,000 female NFS forces in Derbyshire . During this time she was awarded the title "Miss Fire Service". In 1941 she married Harry Stedman, who also worked for the NFS, with whom she rebuilt the family rose breeding business in Longthorpe after the end of the war and managed it for around 30 years.

Her political career began in local politics when she was elected as a Labor Party candidate to the Council of Soke of Peterborough in 1946 and was a member until 1981. In 1965 she also became a member of the county council of Huntingdon and Peterborough , which was incorporated into the county of Cambridgeshire in 1974, so that between 1974 and 1976 she was a member of the council of that county ( Cambridgeshire County Council ). Most recently, Phyllis Stedman, who was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1965, was vice-chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council between 1974 and 1976.

After Peterborough was to be expanded to a planned city (New Town) due to the Town Development Act passed in 1952 , it also acted as a member of the Peterborough New Town Development Corporation between 1970 and 1976 . In this function, she played a key role in the plans for the construction work in her native city, such as the new leisure and park facilities, but also the Nene Valley Railway , which was opened in 1977 by her and the then Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, John Horam . At the same time, she sponsored the work to renovate Peterborough Cathedral .

Member of the House of Lords and Junior Minister

By a Letters Patent of 25 June 1974 Phyllis Stedman was for their long term political and voluntary commitment as Life Peeress titled Baroness Stedman , of Long Thorpe in the City of Peterborough in the nobility raised and belonged since then until her death in the House of Lords as a member. At the beginning of her upper house membership, she acted as a so-called Lady-in-Waiting between 1975 and 1979 and was as such spokeswoman for the ruling Labor faction for the areas of transport, the environment and trade.

During this time she was also a member of the Independent Broadcasting Authority from 1974 to 1985 and also campaigned for the independent local radio 102.7 Heart Peterborough, founded in 1980 . In 1976, she also became a member of the Executive Board of the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund and was a member until her death. In addition, she was involved in the Peterborough Phab Association , which promotes joint activities by the physically disabled and non-disabled people.

In 1979 she was in the government of Prime Minister James Callaghan briefly Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Sports and Water Resources in the Ministry of Environment and was one of the closest associates of the former environment minister ( Secretary of State for Environment ) Peter Shore . During this time she was jointly responsible for the National Land Fund , which was renamed the National Heritage Memorial Fund under the National Heritage Act 1980 and is responsible for the upkeep of important structures and monuments.

Opposition politician and move to SDP

After the Labor Party's defeat in the general election on May 3, 1979 and the associated end of Prime Minister Callaghan's term of office, she became opposition spokeswoman for transport, the environment, local government and the New Towns, and thus belonged to the party chaired by the Labor Party leaders Shadow cabinet on.

In 1981 she resigned from the Labor Party and became a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) founded on March 26, 1981 by former Labor politicians Roy Jenkins , David Owen , Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams . In the following period she was Parliamentary Managing Director ( Whip ) from 1982 to 1986 and then from 1986 to 1988 Parliamentary Chief Executive ( Chief Whip ) of the SDP in the House of Lords. When the SDP split in 1988 and parts of the party merged with the Liberal Party to form the Social & Liberal Democrats , Baroness Stedman remained in the remaining SDP and was chairman of its parliamentary group in the House of Lords until its self-dissolution in 1991 ( Leader of the SDP in the House of Lords ).

Stedman acted as Opposition spokesman for transport, the environment, local government and new towns from 1979 to 1981, when she joined the Social Democratic Party. She served the SDP successively as Whip, Chief Whip and. When the party was dissolved in 1991 she moved to the cross benches, where her regular presence was marked by her reliable kindness and her considered participation.

After the self-dissolution of the SDP in 1991, it no longer joined any parliamentary group, but belonged to the House of Lords as a so-called crossbencher .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Entry in Parks & Gardens UK
  2. ^ Entry in The London Gazette from June 28, 1974
personal data
SURNAME Stedman, Phyllis, Baroness Stedman
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Adams, Phyllis (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Peterborough , Cambridgeshire
DATE OF DEATH June 8, 1996
Place of death Peterborough , Cambridgeshire