Veronica Hardstaff
Encyclopedia
Veronica Mary Hardstaff is a British
politician, who has served as a City councillor in Sheffield
and in the European Parliament
. A member of the Labour Party
, she is on the left of the party.
where she obtained a degree in German
, and then studied at the University of Cologne
. She married in 1964 and had a son and daughter, but divorced in 1977, retaining her married name. Hardstaff worked as a teacher of German and French
, first at High Storrs Girls' Grammar School
in Sheffield
, then at St Peter's Secondary Modern School.
In 1971 she was elected as a Labour Party
candidate to Sheffield City Council in Walkley ward, becoming a full-time councillor; she served for seven years. In 1977 she went back to work at Knottingley
High School, moving in 1979 to the Frecheville School
in Sheffield, and from 1986 to the Birley School
.
for the United Kingdom Parliament, of which six were held by the Conservative Party
. The Labour Party considered winning this election would be taking "a prize Tory scalp". In the end, Hardstaff was elected as Member of the European Parliament
with a majority of 13,745.
. In January 1995, she abstained from signing a declaration against a change in Clause IV
of the Labour Party constitution, despite 36 Labour MEPs doing so. With an agricultural constituency she took up farming issues, calling for a new approach to food quality after the BSE
scandal including stricter regulation of intensive farming. When Lincolnshire was described as a prosperous area, she wrote to object based on the low wages paid to some farmworkers. She was also Vice-Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee between the European Parliament and Poland
from 1995.
For the 1999 European Parliament election, the electoral system was changed to list-based proportional representation. Hardstaff was placed at sixth out of seven on the regional list for Yorkshire and the Humber
, a place which made it practically impossible for her to be re-elected; this low placing was attributed to her alliance with the left. In the election, Labour won only three seats in the region.
to replace an existing secondary school, sponsored by a Christian educational charity; she also defended the use of the Private Finance Initiative
as a pragmatic way of supporting investment. She left the Sheffield cabinet in May 2006 and in May 2007 was defeated in her re-election bid in Walkley. She stood again in Walkley ward in 2008, but was defeated. At the same election Hardstaff's brother, Chris Tutt, was re-elected to Sheffield City Council, in Mosborough
ward, for the Liberal Democrats
.
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...
politician, who has served as a City councillor in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
and in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. A member of 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...
, she is on the left of the party.
Education and career
Hardstaff went to the University of ManchesterUniversity of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
where she obtained a degree in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and then studied at the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
. She married in 1964 and had a son and daughter, but divorced in 1977, retaining her married name. Hardstaff worked as a teacher of German and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, first at High Storrs Girls' Grammar School
High Storrs School (Sheffield)
High Storrs is a secondary comprehensive school on the south-western outskirts of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:High Storrs has a Sixth Form and is a specialist Arts College in the Performing Arts, with a second specialism in Maths and Computing...
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, then at St Peter's Secondary Modern School.
In 1971 she was elected as a 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...
candidate to Sheffield City Council in Walkley ward, becoming a full-time councillor; she served for seven years. In 1977 she went back to work at Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
High School, moving in 1979 to the Frecheville School
Frecheville Comprehensive
Frecheville Comprehensive School was a secondary school located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is now a housing estate.-Notable alumni:...
in Sheffield, and from 1986 to the Birley School
Birley Community College
Birley Community College is a secondary school and technology college in Birley, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.The school has special connections with the village of Pwanii Mchangani in Zanzibar. The school is split into three levels, the topmost one being the religious studies and modern...
.
1994 European election
At the 1994 European Parliament election, Hardstaff was the Labour Party candidate in Lincolnshire and Humberside South. This constituency was made up of seven constituenciesUnited Kingdom constituencies
In the United Kingdom , each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly.Within the United Kingdom there are now five bodies with members elected by constituencies:...
for the United Kingdom Parliament, of which six were held by the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. The Labour Party considered winning this election would be taking "a prize Tory scalp". In the end, Hardstaff was elected as Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
with a majority of 13,745.
European Parliament
She was chosen by her colleagues as Chairwoman of the European Parliamentary Labour PartyEuropean Parliamentary Labour Party
The European Parliamentary Labour Party is an integral part of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament and of the British Labour Party. Labour's Euro Parliamentarians represent their voters so as to advance democracy, social justice, prosperity, peace and sustainable development in the UK,...
. In January 1995, she abstained from signing a declaration against a change in Clause IV
Clause IV
Clause IV historically refers to part of the 1918 text of the British Labour Party constitution which set out the aims and values of the party. Before its revision in 1995, its application was the subject of considerable dispute.-Text:...
of the Labour Party constitution, despite 36 Labour MEPs doing so. With an agricultural constituency she took up farming issues, calling for a new approach to food quality after the BSE
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
scandal including stricter regulation of intensive farming. When Lincolnshire was described as a prosperous area, she wrote to object based on the low wages paid to some farmworkers. She was also Vice-Chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee between the European Parliament and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
from 1995.
For the 1999 European Parliament election, the electoral system was changed to list-based proportional representation. Hardstaff was placed at sixth out of seven on the regional list for Yorkshire and the Humber
Yorkshire and the Humber (European Parliament constituency)
Yorkshire and the Humber is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 6 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
, a place which made it practically impossible for her to be re-elected; this low placing was attributed to her alliance with the left. In the election, Labour won only three seats in the region.
Sheffield City council
In 2002, Hardstaff was elected to Sheffield City Council for a second term, from Walkley ward. In May 2005 she was appointed to the cabinet of Sheffield as member for Children's Services, responsible both for education and for social services to children. She supported plans to bring in a City AcademyAcademy (England)
In the education system of England, an academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government in England. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind...
to replace an existing secondary school, sponsored by a Christian educational charity; she also defended the use of the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
as a pragmatic way of supporting investment. She left the Sheffield cabinet in May 2006 and in May 2007 was defeated in her re-election bid in Walkley. She stood again in Walkley ward in 2008, but was defeated. At the same election Hardstaff's brother, Chris Tutt, was re-elected to Sheffield City Council, in Mosborough
Mosborough
Mosborough ward — which includes the districts of Halfway, Mosborough village, Waterthorpe, and Westfield — is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the eastern part of the city, on the border with Rotherham, and covers an area of 8.9 km2....
ward, for the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
.