Joan Walley
British politician (born 1949)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joan Lorraine Walley (born 23 January 1949) is a British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from the 1987 general election until 2015.
Joan Walley | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Electoral Commission for the Labour Party | |
| Assumed office 1 November 2018 | |
| Nominated by | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Bridget Prentice |
| Chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee | |
| In office 10 June 2010 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Yeo |
| Succeeded by | Huw Irranca-Davies |
| Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John Forrester |
| Succeeded by | Ruth Smeeth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joan Lorraine Walley 23 January 1949 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England |
| Party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Jan Ostrowski (m. 1981) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Biddulph Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University of Hull (BA) |
Early life
She attended Biddulph Grammar School (now known as Woodhouse Middle School) in Biddulph, north Staffordshire, where she studied German under headteacher Edward Kelly.[1] At the University of Hull, she gained a BA in Social Administration. From the University College of Wales, Swansea, she gained a Diploma in Community Work Development. From 1970 to 1973, she worked on an Alcoholics Recovery Project. From 1974 to 1978, she was a Local Government Officer for Swansea City Council. She worked for Wandsworth Council from 1978 to 1979. From 1979 to 1982, she was a Development Officer for NACRO.
Parliamentary career
Following the deselection of her predecessor John Forrester, she stood as the Labour Party candidate for Stoke-on-Trent North (the second female MP for the seat after Harriet Slater) and became the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP) at the 1987 general election.[2] Walley had previously been a Lambeth councillor.[3]
She was elected by the House to be the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee on 9 June 2010.[4]
In November 2013 she announced her intention to stand down at the next general election in 2015.[5] Walley became a member of the Electoral Commission in 2018.[6]