Angela Christine Smith
Encyclopedia
Angela Christine Smith (born 16 August 1961) is a British
Labour Party
politician
who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Sheffield Hillsborough from 2005
to 2010, when she was elected to serve the new constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge
, where her grandfather had been the Mayor. She went to Waltham Leas Primary School, now The Leas Junior School on Manor Drive in Waltham
and Tollbar Secondary School, in New Waltham
, Lincolnshire
.
She joined the Labour Party
at the age of 16 and worked for the NHS
for five years, before taking A levels on an evening course. She studied English at the University of Nottingham
in September 1987.
She started a PhD
at Newnham College, Cambridge
and was an English lecturer at Dearne Valley College
in Wath upon Dearne from 1994 until 2003.
She was a councillor on Sheffield City Council
for 10 years for the Broomhill ward
.
Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hillsborough. In 2007 she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
and chief aide
to Yvette Cooper
.
During her tenure Smith worked to reinstate the former Woodhead Line
between Hadfield
and Penistone
. Mrs Smith is one of 71 MPs who have signed a petition to re-open the transpennine route and she has on more than one occasion headed debates in Westminster on the need for more railway investment in the north. She is one of 98 MPs who voted to attempt to keep keep their expense details secret on the basis of Member Constituent confidentiality, and in order to protect the private addresses of MP's being readily available to the public.
In 2009 Smith was one of the MPs whose expenses were highlighted by The Daily Telegraph
during the Parliamentary expenses scandal
, as she had submitted expenses claims for four beds for a one bedroom flat in London
. In response she advised "The principle of supporting MPs to set up a London base is an important one. You will note from my website that I did not claim for home contents of any kind in 2008-09 and I never will again. I have received support to set up a London base and am grateful for that, but that’s it. Future replacement costs will be borne by myself.” Smith was also noted to have claimed for personal accountancy services provided by the husband of fellow Sheffield MP Meg Munn
.
In July 2009 she introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill to the House of Commons which if accepted by government would change the law to give people more legal protection against attacks by dogs. She works with the RSPCA and the Communication Workers Union on the issue.
The Sheffield Hillsborough seat was abolished at the 2010 election, but Smith became MP for the newly created Penistone and Stocksbridge
constituency.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Sheffield Hillsborough from 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
to 2010, when she was elected to serve the new constituency of Penistone and Stocksbridge
Penistone and Stocksbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Penistone and Stocksbridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was contested for the first time at the 2010 general election, and returns one Member of Parliament elected by the first past the post system of election.-...
Early life and career before parliament
Smith grew up in GrimsbyGrimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, where her grandfather had been the Mayor. She went to Waltham Leas Primary School, now The Leas Junior School on Manor Drive in Waltham
Waltham, Lincolnshire
Waltham is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is south-west of Grimsby and is close to the villages of Scartho, Brigsley, Barnoldby-le-Beck, and Bradley...
and Tollbar Secondary School, in New Waltham
New Waltham
New Waltham is a village and civil parish in North East Lincolnshire. It is located just south of Grimsby and Cleethorpes close to the A16 , and is situated between the villages of Waltham and Humberston. Previously part of Waltham parish, the parish of New Waltham was created in 1961...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
She joined the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
at the age of 16 and worked for the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
for five years, before taking A levels on an evening course. She studied English at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
in September 1987.
She started a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College, Cambridge
Newnham College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1871 by Henry Sidgwick, and was the second Cambridge college to admit women after Girton College...
and was an English lecturer at Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College
Dearne Valley College is a further education college situated in the Manvers Park area of Wath-upon-Dearne, in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It also has a campus near Wath town centre....
in Wath upon Dearne from 1994 until 2003.
She was a councillor on Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...
for 10 years for the Broomhill ward
Broomhill, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
Broomhill ward—which includes the districts of Broomhill, Crookesmoor, Endcliffe, and Tapton—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the western part of the city and covers an area of 2.7 km2. The population of this ward in 2001 was 16,800...
.
Parliamentary career
At the 2005 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hillsborough. In 2007 she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
and chief aide
Aide
Aide may refer to:* A person who assists another; an assistant. In military contexts; an officer who acts as assistant to a more senior one; an aide-de-camp.* Aide , a purported Basque deity....
to Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper
Yvette Cooper is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford since 2010, having previously been MP for Pontefract and Castleford since 1997. She served in the Cabinet between 2008 and 2010. She is the Shadow Home Secretary...
.
During her tenure Smith worked to reinstate the former Woodhead Line
Woodhead Line
The Woodhead Line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. A key feature of the route is the passage under the high moorlands of the northern Peak District through the Woodhead Tunnels...
between Hadfield
Hadfield, Derbyshire
Hadfield is a parish and small residential town in High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It lies very close to the River Etherow which forms the border between Derbyshire and Greater Manchester...
and Penistone
Penistone
Penistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...
. Mrs Smith is one of 71 MPs who have signed a petition to re-open the transpennine route and she has on more than one occasion headed debates in Westminster on the need for more railway investment in the north. She is one of 98 MPs who voted to attempt to keep keep their expense details secret on the basis of Member Constituent confidentiality, and in order to protect the private addresses of MP's being readily available to the public.
In 2009 Smith was one of the MPs whose expenses were highlighted by The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
during the Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, as she had submitted expenses claims for four beds for a one bedroom flat in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In response she advised "The principle of supporting MPs to set up a London base is an important one. You will note from my website that I did not claim for home contents of any kind in 2008-09 and I never will again. I have received support to set up a London base and am grateful for that, but that’s it. Future replacement costs will be borne by myself.” Smith was also noted to have claimed for personal accountancy services provided by the husband of fellow Sheffield MP Meg Munn
Meg Munn
Margaret Patricia Munn , is a British Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Heeley since 2001.-Early life:...
.
In July 2009 she introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill to the House of Commons which if accepted by government would change the law to give people more legal protection against attacks by dogs. She works with the RSPCA and the Communication Workers Union on the issue.
The Sheffield Hillsborough seat was abolished at the 2010 election, but Smith became MP for the newly created Penistone and Stocksbridge
Penistone and Stocksbridge (UK Parliament constituency)
Penistone and Stocksbridge is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was contested for the first time at the 2010 general election, and returns one Member of Parliament elected by the first past the post system of election.-...
constituency.