Helen Southworth

Infobox MP


honorific-prefix =
name = Helen Southworth
honorific-suffix = MP
constituency_MP = Warrington South
parliament =
majority = 3,515 (7.5%)
predecessor = Mike Hall
successor = Incumbent
term_start = 1 May 1997
term_end =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1956|11|13|df=yes
birth_place = Preston
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse = Edmund Southworth
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = Lancaster University
occupation =
profession =
religion = Roman Catholic


website =
footnotes =

Helen Mary Southworth (born 13 November, 1956), is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She is the Member of Parliament for Warrington South, and was first elected at the 1997 General Election. She retained the Warrington South seat at the 2001 and 2005 general elections, each time with a reduced majority.

Early life

Born in Preston, Southworth was educated a Roman Catholic at the former Larkhill Convent Grammar School (now called Cardinal Newman College, a sixth form college) on "Larkhill Road" in Frenchwood, Preston. In 1978, she graduated with a BA in English Literature from Lancaster University.

Before entering Parliament, Southworth was a councillor on St Helens Borough Council, on which she became chairperson of the Leisure Committee. She unsuccessfully contested the Wirral South constituency at the 1992 General Election. She was a Director at Age Concern in St Helens.

Parliamentary career

Southworth served as a member of the House of Commons select committees on Trade and Industry (1998-2001) and Procedure (1997-1999). She was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Paul Boateng, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, from 2001 to 2005. In 2005 she was appointed a member of the Culture, Media and Sport select committee, which will scrutinise the implementation of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

She has served as a non-executive director on a number of bodies, including the charity Age Concern, Grosvenor Housing Association and Merseyside and Knowsley Health Authority.

In 2008, Helen was named MP of the year, for her work involving missing and runaway children. [cite web | url=http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/search/display.var.2080594.0.helen_southworth_named_mp_of_the_year.php | title=Warrington Guardian article| publisher = Warrington Guardian| year=2008 | accessdate=2008-02-28]

Personal life

She is the sister of science writer [http://www.gabriellewalker.com Gabrielle Walker] , well known for her radio shows on BBC Radio 4 and also her Antarctic studies. She married Edmund Southworth, and they have a son. Her husband is on the [http://www.hlf.org.uk/English/AboutUs/Decision-makersandmanagers/CountryAndRegionalCommitteesAndManagers/CommitteefortheNorthWest.htm North West Committee] of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and he has been the County Museums Officer for Lancashire County Council since 2001 who graduated from Lancaster University in 1977 where he studied Archaeology.

References

External links

* [http://www.helensouthworth.labour.co.uk Helen Southworth official website]
* [http://www.helensouthworth.labour.co.uk/ViewPage.cfm?Page=3161 The Labour Party - Helen Southworth MP official biography]
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-4899,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Helen Southworth MP]
* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/helen_southworth/warrington_south TheyWorkForYou.com - Helen Southworth MP]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/election97/candidates/1710.htm BBC 1997 General Election - candidate biography]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/mpdb/html/612.stm BBC Politics page]