Val Shawcross

{{short description|British Labour Co-op politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{Use British English|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Valerie Shawcross | honorific_suffix = CBE | image = | caption = Shawcross in 2020 | office = Deputy Mayor of London for Transport | 1blankname = Mayor | 1namedata = Sadiq Khan | term_start = 9 May 2016 | term_end = 21 May 2018 | succeeding = | predecessor = Isabel Dedring | successor = Heidi Alexander | office1 = Member of the London Assembly <br> for Lambeth and Southwark | term_start1 = 4 May 2000 | term_end1 = 5 May 2016 | predecessor1 = ''Constituency established'' | successor1 = Florence Eshalomi | birth_date = <!-- {{Birth date and age||||df=yes}} --> | birth_place = Middleton, Lancashire, UK | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Michael Anteney | party = Labour Co-op | alma_mater = University of Liverpool (BA)<br>London Institute (MA) }}

'''Valerie Shawcross''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} is a British politician who served as Deputy Mayor of London for Transport from 2016 to 2018. A member of the Labour Co-operative parties, she was Member of the London Assembly for Lambeth and Southwark from 2000 to 2016.

Shawcross was a Member of Croydon London Borough Council from 1994 to 2000, and served as Leader of the Council from 1997 to 2000. She unsuccessfully stood, as the Labour candidate, to become Mayor of Croydon in 2022.

== Early life and education ==

Born on Langley Council Estate, Middleton,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/from-langley-to-london-val-eyes-top-682052 |website=Manchester Evening News | title=From Langley to London: Val eyes top political post|date=16 February 2012 | access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> Shawcross attended local state schools before gaining a 2:1 degree in Political Theory and Institutions from the University of Liverpool.<ref>{{cite web |title=Val Shawcross, CBE (past staff) |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/people/mayoral/val-shawcross-cbe-past-staff |website=london.gov.uk |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> She joined the Labour Party aged 19.<ref>{{cite web|date=2008-08-01|title=Daily Politico: Valerie Shawcross|url=https://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/news/daily-politico-valerie-shawcross|access-date=2020-01-11|website=TotalPolitics.com|language=en}}</ref>

Elected as the Deputy President of the Guild of Undergraduates in 1980, she moved to London in 1981 to take up a post at the UK Council for Students Affairs - UKCOSA (Charity).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wus.org.uk/reflections-campaigning-for-inclusiveness-1980-88/ | title=Campaigning for inclusiveness, 1980-88 |website=WUS | date=27 January 2021 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> She gained an MA in Human Rights and Education at the London Institute in 1986.

== Political career ==

=== Croydon Council === She served as a councillor for New Addington in Croydon from 1994 to 2000, serving as chair of education and later as leader of Croydon London Borough Council from 1997 to 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Tara|date=2021-10-28|title=Croydon Council leader rules out running for mayor but this is who could stand|url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/croydon-council-leader-rules-out-21996520|access-date=2021-11-13|website=MyLondon|language=en}}</ref>

=== London Assembly and Deputy Mayoralty === She was first elected to the London Assembly in 2000, and retained her seat in subsequent elections. In 2000, the mayor of London Ken Livingstone appointed her as the chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pimlott|first=Ben|url=https://archive.org/details/governinglondon0000piml|title=Governing London|date=2002|publisher=New York : Oxford University Press|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-19-924492-8}}</ref> She accepted the appointment on the condition that she would "consider herself bound by Labour's policies and not the mayor's", with Livingstone at the time being an independent politician.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pimlott|first=Ben|url=https://archive.org/details/governinglondon0000piml|title=Governing London|date=2002|publisher=New York : Oxford University Press|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-19-924492-8}}</ref> In his memoir, Livingstone wrote that she "spent the next eight years transforming the London Fire Brigade, leading to a dramatic reduction in loss of life from fires, cutting waste and, later, organising emergency response procedures after 9/11".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Livingstone|first=Ken|url=https://archive.org/details/youcantsaythatme0000livi_r2g5|title=You can't say that : memoirs|date=2012|publisher=London : Faber And Faber|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-571-28041-4}}</ref> At the same time, she served as the Labour group's spokesperson for transport and as chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee. She also served on the Assembly Budget Scrutiny Committee, and chaired the audit committee immediately following her election.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pilkington|first=Colin|url=https://archive.org/details/devolutioninbrit0000pilk|title=Devolution in Britain today|date=2002|publisher=Manchester; New York : Manchester University Press; New York : Distributed exclusively in the USA by Palgrave|others=Internet Archive|isbn=978-0-7190-6075-5}}</ref>

On 7 December 2010, it was announced that Shawcross would be Livingstone's running-mate in the 2012 London mayoral election, Ken Livingstone.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/ken-livingstone-s-running-mate-val-shawcross-aims-to-win-back-women-voters-6544054.html |title=Ken Livingstone's running mate Val Shawcross aims to win back women voters |author=Crerar, Pippa |work=London Evening Standard |date=7 December 2010}}</ref> Shawcross unsuccessfully sought selection as the Labour candidate for the 2012 Croydon North by-election, with Steve Reed becoming the candidate and winning the seat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Breaking-Steve-Reed-selected-Labour-candidate/story-17223500-detail/story.html |title=Breaking: Steve Reed selected as Labour candidate for Croydon North by-election |location=London |work=Croydon Advertiser |date=3 November 2012 |access-date=3 November 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114030656/http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/Breaking-Steve-Reed-selected-Labour-candidate/story-17223500-detail/story.html |archive-date=14 January 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 2015, she announced that she would not seek re-election to the London Assembly at the 2016 elections.

In May 2016, Sadiq Khan appointed her as deputy mayor of London for transport and deputy chair of Transport for London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.london.gov.uk//press-releases/mayoral/mayor-sadiq-khan-announces-key-appointments|title=Mayor Sadiq Khan announces key appointments|date=24 May 2016|website=London City Hall}}</ref> In May 2018, she announced her retirement.<ref name="DMRetire">{{cite web |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/deputy-mayor-for-transport-to-retire |title=Val Shawcross to retire as London's Deputy Mayor for Transport |work=Press Releases |publisher=Mayor of London |date=2018-05-08 |access-date=2018-07-08 }}</ref>

=== Retirement and Croydon Mayoralty === Following her retirement from full-time public life in 2018, she worked as chair of the Heathrow Area Transport Forum,<ref>{{cite web |title=The Heathrow Area Transport Forum |url=https://www.hatf.org.uk/about/ |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=The Heathrow Area Transport Forum}}</ref> and assumed roles in the Thames Festival Trust and Crystal Palace Park Trust.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Thames Festival Trust, Financial Statements |url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/sector-data/top-10-charities?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A9824899&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Ffull-print&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=3956369 |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=Charity Commission}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Crystal Palace Park Trust |url=https://www.crystalpalaceparktrust.org/news/a-new-charity-with-a-new-chair/ |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=The Crystal Palace Park Trust}}</ref>

In October 2021, Shawcross announced her intention to stand to be the first directly elected Mayor of Croydon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/croydon-council-leader-rules-out-21996520 | title=Croydon Council leader rules out running for mayor but this is who could stand |website=MyLondon | date=28 October 2021 |access-date=17 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Croydon Council leader rules out running for mayor but this is who could stand |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/croydon-council-leader-rules-out-21996520 |access-date=17 November 2021 |website=MyLondon |date=28 October 2021 }}</ref> She was selected as Croydon Labour's 2022 mayoral candidate in December 2021. Shawcross was narrowly defeated by Conservative Jason Perry in the May 2022 Croydon Mayoral election, who won with a majority of less than 600 votes in the second round.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quadri |first=Sami |date=2022-05-07 |title=Croydon elects Conservative Mayor for first time in history |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/uk-london-elections-latest-croydon-conservative-mayor-jason-perry-val-shawcross-b998570.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-07 |title=London election results 2022: Croydon bucks London trend with Tory mayoral win |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-61352552 |access-date=2022-06-08}}</ref> Her campaign was damaged by dissatisfaction with the Labour-held Council, which had led the borough into bankruptcy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stew |first=Martin |date=2022-05-07 |title=Croydon elects its first ever Tory mayor as financial woes take toll on Labour |url=https://www.itv.com/news/london/2022-05-07/croydon-elects-its-first-ever-tory-mayor-as-financial-woes-take-toll-on-labour |access-date=2022-06-08 |website=ITV News |language=en}}</ref>

== Honours and awards == Shawcross was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 Birthday Honours for her services to local government.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=56595 |date=15 June 2002 |supp=y |pages=9 }}</ref> She was made an Honorary Alderwoman of the London Borough of Croydon in 2019, and is a Freewoman of the City of London.<ref>{{cite web |title=Admission of Honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen |url=https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/ieIssueDetails.aspx?IId=6972&Opt=3 |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=croydon.gov.uk| date=3 May 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=106 women offered Freedom of the City in historic move |url=https://www.citymatters.london/106-women-offered-freedom-in-historic-move/ |website=citymatters.london |date=7 March 2019 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> She has been recognised for her work in Transport in London by the business group ‘London First’,<ref>{{cite web |title=Major infrastructure achievements celebrated at inaugural London Infrastructure Awards |url=https://www.londonfirst.co.uk/news-publications/news/major-infrastructure-achievements-celebrated-at-inaugural-london |website=London First |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> the ‘London Cycling Campaign',<ref>{{cite web |title=London Cycling Awards 2015 |url=https://www.lookmumnohands.com/blog/london-cycling-awards-2015 |website=Look Mum No Hands |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> and the disability campaign group ‘Transport for All’.<ref>{{cite web |title=TfA meets new Deputy Mayor for Transport Valerie Shawcross |url=https://www.transportforall.org.uk/news/tfa-meets-new-deputy-mayor-for-transport-valerie-shawcross/ |website=Transport for all |date=August 2016 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref>

== Personal life == Shawcross is married to Michael Anteney and has lived in the London Borough of Croydon since 1985.

==Footnotes== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.southwarklabour.co.uk/ Labour in Southwark] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923173444/http://www.southwarklabour.co.uk/ |date=23 September 2015 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shawcross, Valerie}} Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool Category:Labour Party (UK) councillors Category:Leaders of local authorities in London Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Croydon Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Politics of the London Borough of Southwark Category:People from Middleton, Greater Manchester Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Labour Members of the London Assembly Category:Labour Co-operative Members of the London Assembly Category:Women councillors in England Category:London AMs 2000–2004 Category:London AMs 2004–2008 Category:London AMs 2008–2012 Category:London AMs 2012–2016 Category:Labour Co-operative mayors and deputy mayors of London