Eric Pickles
Encyclopedia
Eric Jack Pickles is a British
Conservative Party
politician
. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister
David Cameron
on 12 May 2010.
He was the Chairman of the Conservative Party
until being replaced by Baroness Warsi in May 2010 and has been Member of Parliament
for Brentwood and Ongar in Essex since 1992. He was Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee Against Racism between 1982 and 1987.
, Yorkshire, he went to Greenhead Grammar School (which became Greenhead High School and is now University Academy Keighley) on Greenhead Road in Utley
, north Keighley, then Leeds Polytechnic
. He was born into a Labour
supporting family – his great grandfather was one of the founders of the Independent Labour Party
, and described himself as 'massively inclined' towards communism as a boy – but he joined the Conservative Party
in 1968 after the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia
.
Pickles soon became the chairman of the local Young Conservatives association and later became chairman of the national organisation.
in 1979. Between 1988 and 1990, he served as leader of the Conservative group on the council. In September 1988 the Conservative Party gained control by using the Conservative mayor's casting vote to become the only inner-city council to be controlled by the Conservatives.
When Bradford Council was hung, Pickles opted to break the agreement that the position of Lord Mayor is rotated between the parties, when he put a Conservative mayor in place again. This effectively gave the Conservatives a majority due to the Lord Mayor's casting vote. To do this, they also broke the tradition that the Lord Mayor kept the status quo.
Whilst at Bradford, Pickles announced a five-year plan to cut the council's budget by £50m, reduce the workforce by a third, privatise services and undertake council departmental restructures, many of which proved controversial. A book, The Pickles Papers by Tony Grogan, was written about this period in Pickles's life.
for Brentwood and Ongar since 1992. He is currently the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
in the coalition government headed by Prime Minister
David Cameron
, following his appointment to the role on 12 May 2010. Previously he has served as Chairman of the Conservative Party
from January 2009 to May 2010 and Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
, having held that post since June 2007. Prior to this he served as Shadow Minister for Local Government from June 2002. Before that Pickles was Shadow Minister for Transport
(September 2001 – June 2002) and Shadow Minister for London
.
At the 2001 general election
, the independent candidate Martin Bell
, who had previously won Tatton
from Neil Hamilton
, stood against him due to accusations that the Peniel Pentecostal Church
had infiltrated the local Conservative branch. Pickles's majority was severely reduced, but he retained his seat by a margin of 2,821 votes (6.5%) becoming elected with only 38% of the votes against Martin Bell's 31.5%.
At the 2005 general election
Pickles retained the seat with an increased majority of 11,612 (26.3%), nearly as many as the total votes cast for the second place candidate, and making this the second safest seat in Eastern England, and Pickles the MP with the third-highest share of the vote cast in this region. Pickles polled a total of 23,609 votes (53.5%).
On 2 July 2007 David Cameron
appointed Pickles to a reshuffled Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary. On 30 December 2008, according to reports in The Times, Pickles unveiled plans to "purge town hall 'fat cats'". The Times reported that under the plans "dozens of council chiefs who earn more than Cabinet ministers would lose their jobs as clusters of councils merged their frontline services and backroom operations to provide better value for money." Of the eight highest earning chief executives listed in The Times' report, six are employed by councils run by the Conservative party, one by Labour and one by the Liberal Democrats.
Pickles was the campaign manager for the successful Crewe and Nantwich by-election
in May 2008. Following this, Pickles was promoted to Chairman of the Conservative Party
in January 2009.
In early 2010, Pickles defended the first-past-the-post
voting system as resulting in stable government. He attacked Prime Minister Gordon Brown
saying he "... now wants to fiddle the electoral system" by wanting to look at a Preferential Voting system with a single transferrable vote, similar to that used in Australia and other countries.
as part of David Cameron's new coalition Government on 12 May 2010, and sworn as a Privy Counsellor
on 13 May 2010.
In his role as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 30 July 2010, Pickles announced plans to hand powers where ministers can cap unreasonable increases in council taxes to local people. A consultation begun in August 2010 and the powers, which will require legislation, should be in force by March 2012. Pickles said he was determined to reverse the presumption that Whitehall knows best by making local councils directly accountable to the local taxpayer. He said: "If councils want to increase council tax further, they will have to prove the case to the electorate. Let the people decide". Residents would be asked to choose between accepting the rise or rejecting it and instead accepting a below inflation rise, but with reduced council services. The average council tax on a Band D property increased from £688 a year in 1997/98 to £1,439 for 2010.
In late 2010, Sir Alan Sugar criticised Pickles; referring to him as "another pointless politician doing yet another menial administrative job that could be done by anyone that has been educated in any vague sort of half coherent English".
Pickles is a self-proclaimed flag enthusiast, and has taken a personal interest in ensuring that English County flags are regularly flown from the Department for Communities and Local Government. He has urged people to fly the St George Cross of England more widely for St. George’s Day and encouraged public bodies to adopt a common sense approach to flying the flag. On 14 May 2011, at the Flag Institute
Spring Meeting, Pickles announced a consultation aimed at “Making it easier for people to celebrate an identity or an organisation that means something to them.”
in Newcastle upon Tyne
. While discussing the controversy over Tony McNulty
(who had recently admitted claiming expenses on a second home, occupied by his parents, only 8 miles away from his primary residence), Pickles admitted he claimed a second home allowance because he lived 37 miles from Westminster
and needed to leave his constituency house in Brentwood at 5.30 am in order to get to Westminster for 9.30 am, given that he tended to get home at midnight or 1 am, although the standard time for commuters from this region is usually ninety minutes. He went on to say that it was "no fun" commuting into London from where he lived. In response to Pickles's comments that he "had to be there [the House of Commons] on time", Question Time host David Dimbleby
, replied "Like a job, in other words?" prompting amusement amongst the audience.
There were also remarks from the audience about nurses and firemen etc. having to commute across London and get to their jobs on time and having to do without a second home.
Pickles was asked to pay back £300 following the MP's expenses scandal, which he had claimed for cleaning.
together with the then Leader of Brentwood Council (and fellow Conservative) Brandon Lewis
in a show titled The Eric and Brandon Show. The show was billed as non-party political, and involved the two politicians interviewing local personalities interspersed with music.
, a district of Batley in West Yorkshire.
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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...
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
on 12 May 2010.
He was the Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
until being replaced by Baroness Warsi in May 2010 and has been Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Brentwood and Ongar in Essex since 1992. He was Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee Against Racism between 1982 and 1987.
Early life
Born in KeighleyKeighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
, Yorkshire, he went to Greenhead Grammar School (which became Greenhead High School and is now University Academy Keighley) on Greenhead Road in Utley
Utley, West Yorkshire
Utley is a village within the county of West Yorkshire, England, approximately 1.5 miles from Keighley town centre.-Facilities:Utley consists of upper and lower Utley, divided by Skipton Road....
, north Keighley, then Leeds Polytechnic
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. He was born into a Labour
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...
supporting family – his great grandfather was one of the founders of the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
, and described himself as 'massively inclined' towards communism as a boy – but he joined 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...
in 1968 after the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia
Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
On the night of 20–21 August 1968, the Soviet Union and her main satellite states in the Warsaw Pact – Bulgaria, the German Democratic Republic , Hungary and Poland – invaded the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in order to halt Alexander Dubček's Prague Spring political liberalization...
.
Pickles soon became the chairman of the local Young Conservatives association and later became chairman of the national organisation.
Bradford councillor
Pickles was first elected to Bradford CouncilCity of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
in 1979. Between 1988 and 1990, he served as leader of the Conservative group on the council. In September 1988 the Conservative Party gained control by using the Conservative mayor's casting vote to become the only inner-city council to be controlled by the Conservatives.
When Bradford Council was hung, Pickles opted to break the agreement that the position of Lord Mayor is rotated between the parties, when he put a Conservative mayor in place again. This effectively gave the Conservatives a majority due to the Lord Mayor's casting vote. To do this, they also broke the tradition that the Lord Mayor kept the status quo.
Whilst at Bradford, Pickles announced a five-year plan to cut the council's budget by £50m, reduce the workforce by a third, privatise services and undertake council departmental restructures, many of which proved controversial. A book, The Pickles Papers by Tony Grogan, was written about this period in Pickles's life.
Parliamentary career
Pickles has been Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Brentwood and Ongar since 1992. He is currently the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
in the coalition government headed by Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, following his appointment to the role on 12 May 2010. Previously he has served as Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
from January 2009 to May 2010 and Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
, having held that post since June 2007. Prior to this he served as Shadow Minister for Local Government from June 2002. Before that Pickles was Shadow Minister for Transport
Secretary of State for Transport
The Secretary of State for Transport is the member of the cabinet responsible for the British Department for Transport. The role has had a high turnover as new appointments are blamed for the failures of decades of their predecessors...
(September 2001 – June 2002) and Shadow Minister for London
Minister for London
The Minister for London was a United Kingdom ministerial post that is part of the government of London. The post was scrapped by David Cameron after he came to office in 2010...
.
At the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
, the independent candidate Martin Bell
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
, who had previously won Tatton
Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Sources :* Data for the 2005 election are from the .* Data for the 2001 election are from http://www.election.demon.co.uk/....
from Neil Hamilton
Neil Hamilton (politician)
Mostyn Neil Hamilton is a former British barrister, teacher and Conservative MP. Since losing his seat in 1997 and leaving politics, Hamilton and his wife Christine have become media celebrities...
, stood against him due to accusations that the Peniel Pentecostal Church
Peniel Pentecostal Church
Peniel Pentecostal Church is located in Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex, UK. The church was founded by the now disgraced 'Bishop' Michael Reid, and is currently under new leadership .- Doctrine :...
had infiltrated the local Conservative branch. Pickles's majority was severely reduced, but he retained his seat by a margin of 2,821 votes (6.5%) becoming elected with only 38% of the votes against Martin Bell's 31.5%.
At the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
Pickles retained the seat with an increased majority of 11,612 (26.3%), nearly as many as the total votes cast for the second place candidate, and making this the second safest seat in Eastern England, and Pickles the MP with the third-highest share of the vote cast in this region. Pickles polled a total of 23,609 votes (53.5%).
On 2 July 2007 David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
appointed Pickles to a reshuffled Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary. On 30 December 2008, according to reports in The Times, Pickles unveiled plans to "purge town hall 'fat cats'". The Times reported that under the plans "dozens of council chiefs who earn more than Cabinet ministers would lose their jobs as clusters of councils merged their frontline services and backroom operations to provide better value for money." Of the eight highest earning chief executives listed in The Times' report, six are employed by councils run by the Conservative party, one by Labour and one by the Liberal Democrats.
Pickles was the campaign manager for the successful Crewe and Nantwich by-election
Crewe and Nantwich by-election, 2008
The Crewe and Nantwich by-election, 2008 was a parliamentary by-election held on 22 May 2008, for the British House of Commons constituency of Crewe and Nantwich, in Cheshire, England...
in May 2008. Following this, Pickles was promoted to Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
in January 2009.
In early 2010, Pickles defended the first-past-the-post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
voting system as resulting in stable government. He attacked Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
saying he "... now wants to fiddle the electoral system" by wanting to look at a Preferential Voting system with a single transferrable vote, similar to that used in Australia and other countries.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Pickles was appointed as Secretary of State for Communities and Local GovernmentSecretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
as part of David Cameron's new coalition Government on 12 May 2010, and sworn as a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on 13 May 2010.
In his role as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 30 July 2010, Pickles announced plans to hand powers where ministers can cap unreasonable increases in council taxes to local people. A consultation begun in August 2010 and the powers, which will require legislation, should be in force by March 2012. Pickles said he was determined to reverse the presumption that Whitehall knows best by making local councils directly accountable to the local taxpayer. He said: "If councils want to increase council tax further, they will have to prove the case to the electorate. Let the people decide". Residents would be asked to choose between accepting the rise or rejecting it and instead accepting a below inflation rise, but with reduced council services. The average council tax on a Band D property increased from £688 a year in 1997/98 to £1,439 for 2010.
In late 2010, Sir Alan Sugar criticised Pickles; referring to him as "another pointless politician doing yet another menial administrative job that could be done by anyone that has been educated in any vague sort of half coherent English".
Pickles is a self-proclaimed flag enthusiast, and has taken a personal interest in ensuring that English County flags are regularly flown from the Department for Communities and Local Government. He has urged people to fly the St George Cross of England more widely for St. George’s Day and encouraged public bodies to adopt a common sense approach to flying the flag. On 14 May 2011, at the Flag Institute
Flag Institute
The Flag Institute is a research and documentation centre for flags and flag information, founded on St George's Day, 23 April 1971 by William Crampton and Captain EMC Barraclough CBE RN. Although not an official body, it is the principal advisor and designer of flags to the government of the...
Spring Meeting, Pickles announced a consultation aimed at “Making it easier for people to celebrate an identity or an organisation that means something to them.”
Second home
On 26 March 2009, Pickles appeared on the political debate programme Question TimeQuestion Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. While discussing the controversy over Tony McNulty
Tony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
(who had recently admitted claiming expenses on a second home, occupied by his parents, only 8 miles away from his primary residence), Pickles admitted he claimed a second home allowance because he lived 37 miles from Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
and needed to leave his constituency house in Brentwood at 5.30 am in order to get to Westminster for 9.30 am, given that he tended to get home at midnight or 1 am, although the standard time for commuters from this region is usually ninety minutes. He went on to say that it was "no fun" commuting into London from where he lived. In response to Pickles's comments that he "had to be there [the House of Commons] on time", Question Time host David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
, replied "Like a job, in other words?" prompting amusement amongst the audience.
There were also remarks from the audience about nurses and firemen etc. having to commute across London and get to their jobs on time and having to do without a second home.
Pickles was asked to pay back £300 following the MP's expenses scandal, which he had claimed for cleaning.
Radio show
Pickles also appeared as a radio presenter on local community radio station Phoenix FMPhoenix FM
Phoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, England. It was formed in 1996 and has broadcast twelve 28-day restricted service licence broadcasts on FM. The station's presenters include local snooker hero Steve Davis, Boxer Rebellion drummer Piers Hewitt,...
together with the then Leader of Brentwood Council (and fellow Conservative) Brandon Lewis
Brandon Lewis
Brandon Kenneth Lewis is the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth. He was elected at the 2010 general election.-Early life:Brandon Lewis was born on 20 June 1971 in Harold Wood, and educated at Forest School...
in a show titled The Eric and Brandon Show. The show was billed as non-party political, and involved the two politicians interviewing local personalities interspersed with music.
Personal life
He married Irene Coates in 1976 in StaincliffeStaincliffe
Staincliffe is a cross-over district of both Batley, West Yorkshire, England and Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England; the name is believed to derive from staine, meaning stone and cliffe, cliff...
, a district of Batley in West Yorkshire.
External links
- Eric Pickles MP official constituency website
- Contributor page at The Guardian
- The Pickles Papers, Tony Grogan, 1989
- Eric Pickles news at publicservice.co.uk
- Video: "Eric Pickles' War Room Briefing: The challenge facing us at the next election" on the Webcameron YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel.
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