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Rosalind Scott, Baroness Scott of Needham Market
Rosalind Carol "Ros" Scott, Baroness Scott of Needham Market (born 10 August 1957) is a British politician who is a member of the House of Lords. Baroness Scott was president of the Liberal Democrats between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010 and was succeeded by Tim Farron.[1]
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Early life and education
The daughter of Kenneth Vincent and Carol Leadbeater, she was born in Bath, Somerset. Her father, an RAF serviceman, was posted abroad through much of her childhood, including Cyprus and Singapore. She was educated at Whitby Grammar School and Kent School, Hostert, Germany. She was further educated at the University of East Anglia, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies with German in 1999.
Scott worked for the Passage Day Care Centre and is Honourable President of the East Coast Sailing Trust. She is also patron of the Pickerel Environment Project, the Pakenham Water Mill Trust and the Wings of Hope Charity Appeal.
Political career
Local government (1991-2005)
She was a Liberal Democrat councillor in Suffolk from 1991 to 2005, serving at both District and County level. She held a number of positions on Suffolk County Council, including Group Leader. She was appointed to the Local Government Association Transport Executive in 1997, became Chair in 2001 and is now Vice-President of the organisation. She represented UK local government in Europe as a member of the Committee of the Regions from 1997 to 2001 and as part of the North Sea Commission. She has been a Non-Executive Director at Lloyd's Register, Entrust, the Landfill Tax regulator and ITV. She was also a member of the think-tank the Commission for Integrated Transport. She is currently a non-Executive Director of the Harwich Haven Authority.
House of Lords (2000-present)
On 11 May 2000, she was created a life peer as Baroness Scott of Needham Market, of Needham Market in the County of Suffolk.[2] In 2008, she stood down as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government to concentrate on being a candidate to be President of the Liberal Democrats.[3] On 8 November 2008, it was announced that she had won the ballot of party members to become President of the Liberal Democrats, beating Lembit Öpik. She took office as president on 1 January 2009. She later stood down as president and was succeeded by Tim Farron in 2011.
Baroness Scott has served on numerous committees in the House of Lords, including the domestic Liaison Committee and the Constitution Committee. She currently serves on the European Union Committee and chairs its Sub-Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy.
Personal life
Scott was married, but was divorced later. She has a son, Jamie, and a daughter, Sally. On 22 April 2008 she married fellow Liberal Democrat, Mark Valladares.
References
External links
- Liberal Democrats site
- Liberal Democrat presidential campaign site
- Biography from Dods Online
- Biography from the UK Parliament website
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Simon Hughes |
President of the Liberal Democrats 2009 – 2010 |
Succeeded by Tim Farron |
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