Kerry Pollard
Encyclopedia
Kerry Patrick Pollard is a Labour Party
politician in the United Kingdom
. He was elected at the 1997 general election
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for St Albans
, and held the seat until his defeat at the 2005 general election
.
. He attended the Catholic Thornleigh Salesian College
in Astley Bridge, Bolton
. He has an Open University
BA
in Industrial Relations
and Urban Regeneration
.
and social inclusion
. He came in third place at his first attempt to be elected as MP for the St Albans constituency in the 1992 general election
.
in the House of Commons on Monday 19 April 1999 in support of Bradford & Bingley Building Society's fight to stay mutual. He urged Bradford & Bingley
members to vote against moves to force Britain's second-largest building society
to convert to a bank, saying "the early day motion will express the fear that were Bradford & Bingley Building Society to become a bank, the entire building society movement will be damaged directly."
In the UK Parliament, Pollard opposed the US-led wars in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, but his most consistent aberrations from the party instructions were over benefits - he voted on several occasions against cuts in state benefits
. Pollard chaired the all-party small business
group.
A Christian socialist
, Pollard took a conservative line on questions of personal morality, he was a member of the all-party pro-life
group and was one of a handful of Labour MPs to oppose the equalisation of the age of consent
.
As an MP, he appeared on former BBC day time chat show Kilroy (television series)
, contributing to topics such as the problem of personal debt, with comments including “Surely the banks have some sort of responsibility?”
about the behaviour of the new parent company
.
Pollard is chair of the Labour Housing Group.
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 in the United Kingdom
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...
. He was elected at the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
as 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 St Albans
St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)
St Albans is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Established in 1885, it is a county constituency in Hertfordshire, and elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.From 1554 to 1852 there was a...
, and held the seat until his defeat at the 2005 general election
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....
.
Early life
Pollard was brought up in RochdaleRochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
. He attended the Catholic Thornleigh Salesian College
Thornleigh Salesian College
Thornleigh Salesian College is a Salesian and Catholic secondary school in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.- History :Thornleigh College was founded in 1925 by The Salesian Order of Don Bosco at the request of the Clergy of Bolton....
in Astley Bridge, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. He has an Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Industrial Relations
Labor relations
Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships. Many outsiders also equate industrial relations to labour relations...
and Urban Regeneration
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
.
Before Parliament
Pollard was a Housing Association director, interested in social justiceSocial justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and social inclusion
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
. He came in third place at his first attempt to be elected as MP for the St Albans constituency in the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
.
Non-political career
- Chemical EngineerChemical engineerIn the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
, British Gas plcBritish Gas plcBritish Gas plc was formerly the monopoly gas supplier and is a private sector in the United Kingdom.- History :In the early 1900s the gas market in the United Kingdom was mainly run by county councils and small private firms...
1962-92. - Chief Executive, Cherry Tree Housing Association 1992-97.
- Magistrate, since 1984.
Political career
- Councillor, St Albans DistrictCity and District of St AlbansThe City of St Albans , also known as the City and District of St Albans or District of St Albans, is a local government district, in Hertfordshire, England. It was created in 1974 and since then has held the status of non-metropolitan district and city. The local authority is St Albans City Council...
Council 1982-97. - Councillor, Hertfordshire County CouncilHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
1989-97.
Parliamentary career
Kerry Pollard raised an early day motionEarly day motion
An Early Day Motion , in the Westminster system, is a motion, expressed as a single sentence, tabled by Members of Parliament for debate "on an early day" . Controversial EDMs are not signed by Government Ministers, PPS or the Speaker of the House of Commons and very few are debated on the floor...
in the House of Commons on Monday 19 April 1999 in support of Bradford & Bingley Building Society's fight to stay mutual. He urged Bradford & Bingley
Bradford & Bingley
Bradford & Bingley plc is a British bank with headquarters in the West Yorkshire town of Bingley. In 2008, partly due to the credit crunch, the bank was nationalised and in effect split into two parts; the mortgage book remained with the now publicly owned Bradford & Bingley plc, and the deposits...
members to vote against moves to force Britain's second-largest building society
Building society
A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially mortgage lending. These institutions are found in the United Kingdom and several other countries.The term "building society"...
to convert to a bank, saying "the early day motion will express the fear that were Bradford & Bingley Building Society to become a bank, the entire building society movement will be damaged directly."
In the UK Parliament, Pollard opposed the US-led wars in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, but his most consistent aberrations from the party instructions were over benefits - he voted on several occasions against cuts in state benefits
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
. Pollard chaired the all-party small business
Small business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
group.
A Christian socialist
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
, Pollard took a conservative line on questions of personal morality, he was a member of the all-party pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
group and was one of a handful of Labour MPs to oppose the equalisation of the age of consent
The Age of Consent
The Age of Consent is a synthpop album by Bronski Beat , released at the end of 1984 on London Records.-Overview:...
.
As an MP, he appeared on former BBC day time chat show Kilroy (television series)
Kilroy (television series)
Kilroy is a BBC1 daytime chat show hosted by Robert Kilroy-Silk that began in 8 September 1986 and finished on 29 January 2004 after 18 years....
, contributing to topics such as the problem of personal debt, with comments including “Surely the banks have some sort of responsibility?”
After Parliament
Kerry Pollard joined the management board of Ridgehill Housing Association in 2005, rising to become, upon merging with William Sutton Housing Association, the chair of William Sutton Homes. Following the merger of the William Sutton Group and Affinity Homes Group on 1 October 2006, Pollard was removed as Chair of William Sutton Homes on 25 April 2007, after he had complained to the Housing AssociationHousing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
about the behaviour of the new parent company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
.
Pollard is chair of the Labour Housing Group.