Williamson, Chris

Mr Chris Williamson MP is a member of parliament for the constituency of Derby North, he is a member of the Labour Party and has been in office since 2010.

Biography

Chris Williamson was born in Derby in 1956. He attended the Sir John Fisher Primary School in Alvaston; Castle DoningtonHigh School, and St Thomas More High School, Allenton. He later attended the Leicester Polytechnic where he obtained a CQSW in 1985. He has worked in a variety of different settings as a machinist on factory shop floors, on building sites as a former bricklayer and in local government as a Community Care Worker, Social Worker and Welfare Rights Officer.

Political Career

He has been a member of the Labour Party since 1976 and writes a regular blog at: http://chriswilliamsonlabourleader.blogspot.com. He was the leader of the Derby Labour Group from 2002 to 2010 and leader of Derby City Council on two separate occasions from 2002 – 2003 and 2005 – 2008. He was elected as a city as a councillor for Normanton ward in 1991.

He has spent almost 20 years working to ensure Derby people have the very best services. As Leader of Derby City Council, he introduced free home care services to city residents and was involved in bringing major players to the city including Westfield, Jurys Inn, Primark and Derby Riverlights. He also introduced Derby's Neighbourhood Agenda, which saw the creation of Neighbourhood Boards and Forums across the city, giving residents a voice in the running of their communities.

He is a seasoned anti-poverty and animal welfare campaigner. He was a key force as a trustee of the League Against Cruel Sports in the national campaign that eventually saw foxhunting outlawed. And as the Vice Chair of the Local Government Anti Poverty Forum he was part of the successful campaign to introduce the national minimum wage. At a local level his successful campaigns have included battles to protect jobs, retain school transport and expose rogue car clampers.

He was inspired to go into politics because of people like Martin Luther King. Chris believes that you can’t leave it to others to tackle injustice and says you have to stand up for what you believe in to make a difference on the ground. His main policy interests are tackling poverty and inequality, urban regeneration, environmental issues and climate change, animal welfare, community empowerment and local government.

Roles

Parliamentary career

• Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government) (2010-13)

Select committees

• Communities and Local Government Committee (2013- )
• Communities and Local Government Committee (2010-10)

External Links and References

• www.parliament.uk - Chris Williamson MP
• Chris Williamson's Personal Website