Fleur de Rhé-Philipe
Encyclopedia
Fleur de Rhé-Philipe is a Conservative
politician in the United Kingdom
. Before 2009, she was a member of Wiltshire County Council
representing first the Upper Wylye division and later Westbury Laverton
and was the Cabinet member for Environment, Transport & Economic Development. Since June 2009 she has been a member of the new Wiltshire Council
representing Warminster Without and is again a cabinet member.
OBE
(1905–1971), late Royal Engineers
, She has lived at Upton Scudamore
since the 1960s and was the founding chairman of the Warminster
and District Riding Club, which went on to become the South Wiltshire Riding Club.
With an administrative career in civil engineering
and urban regeneration, from 1992 to 2007 de Rhé-Philipe was the Company Secretary of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
, during which time she gained a Heritage Lottery Fund
grant of £25M for the canal.
She was first elected to Wiltshire County Council in 1997, representing the Upper Wylye county division until 2005. In that year, her area was divided by an electoral review between two new divisions, and in May 2005 de Rhé-Philipe was elected for the new Westbury Laverton and Shearwater. Since the 2009 election
to Wiltshire Council
, her new Warminster Without division includes the parishes of Brixton Deverill
, Chapmanslade
, Corsley
, Horningsham
, Kingston Deverill
, Longbridge Deverill
, Maiden Bradley
, Sutton Veny
and Upton Scudamore
.
In 1998, the Conservatives
gained control of Wiltshire after several years of administrations under a Liberal Democrat-Labour
coalition, and de Rhé-Philipe gained office as a chairman of committees and later, when the 'Leader and Cabinet' form of administration was chosen by the county council, as a member of the new Cabinet.
In March 2004, she formally opened what was claimed to be the first navigable aqueduct
built in the South West of England for some two hundred years, carrying the Kennet and Avon Canal
over the A350 at Semington
, part of the village's new bypass scheme, with de Rhe Philipe commenting:
In May 2004, at Shalbourne
near Marlborough, she led conservationists in a mass planting of Horseshoe Vetch
, designed to attract the Chalkhill Blue
butterfly
to the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
.
In December 2007, she signed an agreement to launch the £90 million Waterside development of land by the River Biss
in Trowbridge
, commenting that the contract was a significant step forward.
In February 2008, in stating her support for the Westbury Bypass
road scheme, she said:
In March 2008, as Wiltshire cabinet member for Environment and Transport, de Rhé-Philipe submitted a memorandum to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee stating support for "the restoration and economic regeneration of canal corridors".
She is Chairman of SWERCOTS Ltd, a company delivering a regional local government project called Consumer Direct South West, and also a member of the Swindon
Sub Regional Steering Group and the Salisbury
Transportation Plan Joint Committee.
In June 2009 she was elected to the new Wiltshire Council
, as a Conservative member for Warminster Without
.
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 in the United Kingdom
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...
. Before 2009, she was a member of Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council
Wiltshire County Council was the county council of Wiltshire in the South West of England, an elected local Government body responsible for most local government services in the county....
representing first the Upper Wylye division and later Westbury Laverton
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
and was the Cabinet member for Environment, Transport & Economic Development. Since June 2009 she has been a member of the new Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
representing Warminster Without and is again a cabinet member.
Background
Fleur de Rhé-Philipe is one of the two daughters of Major-General Arthur Terence de Rhé-Philipe CBOrder of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(1905–1971), late Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, She has lived at Upton Scudamore
Upton Scudamore
Upton Scudamore is a village in Wiltshire, England, located about a mile north of the town of Warminster.In earlier centuries, it was often spelt Upton Skidmore. It appears on John Sexton's map of Wiltshire as simply Upton....
since the 1960s and was the founding chairman of the Warminster
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
and District Riding Club, which went on to become the South Wiltshire Riding Club.
Career
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and urban regeneration, from 1992 to 2007 de Rhé-Philipe was the Company Secretary of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
, during which time she gained a Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
grant of £25M for the canal.
She was first elected to Wiltshire County Council in 1997, representing the Upper Wylye county division until 2005. In that year, her area was divided by an electoral review between two new divisions, and in May 2005 de Rhé-Philipe was elected for the new Westbury Laverton and Shearwater. Since the 2009 election
Wiltshire Council election, 2009
Elections to Wiltshire Council, a new unitary authority, were held on 4 June 2009.The whole council of 98 members was up for election, with each member elected in a single-member electoral division...
to Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
, her new Warminster Without division includes the parishes of Brixton Deverill
Brixton Deverill
Brixton Deverill is a village and civil parish on the River Wylye about south of Warminster in Wiltshire, England....
, Chapmanslade
Chapmanslade
Chapmanslade is a village and parish in the County of Wiltshire, in the south west of England.-Location:Its closest towns are Westbury and Warminster in Wiltshire, and the Somerset town of Frome is also nearby. Trowbridge is to the north.-Sources:...
, Corsley
Corsley
Corsley is a village and civil parish west of Warminster in Wiltshire, England, at . The parish includes seven hamlets: Corsley Heath , Lane End, Longhedge, Lyes Green and three Whitbournes...
, Horningsham
Horningsham
Horningsham is a small Wiltshire village forming part of the Longleat Estate and lying on the Wiltshire/Somerset border between Warminster and Frome.It has a peculiar form lying somwehere between a classic dispersed settlement and a nucleated village....
, Kingston Deverill
Kingston Deverill
Kingston Deverill is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. Its nearest towns are Mere, about away, and Warminster about to the north east.The Church of England parish church is called St Mary's.-External links:* at genuki.org.uk...
, Longbridge Deverill
Longbridge Deverill
Longbridge Deverill is a village and civil parish about south of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. The village is one of the Lower Deverills....
, Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield is a small Wiltshire civil parish near the Somerset border and the home of the Duke of Somerset. The B3092 road that joins Frome to Mere runs through the middle of the village of Maiden Bradley....
, Sutton Veny
Sutton Veny
Sutton Veny is a small village situated in the Wylye Valley, about 2 miles south east of the town of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. 'Sutton' means south farmstead in relation to Norton Bavant, one mile to the north...
and Upton Scudamore
Upton Scudamore
Upton Scudamore is a village in Wiltshire, England, located about a mile north of the town of Warminster.In earlier centuries, it was often spelt Upton Skidmore. It appears on John Sexton's map of Wiltshire as simply Upton....
.
In 1998, the Conservatives
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...
gained control of Wiltshire after several years of administrations under a Liberal Democrat-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...
coalition, and de Rhé-Philipe gained office as a chairman of committees and later, when the 'Leader and Cabinet' form of administration was chosen by the county council, as a member of the new Cabinet.
In March 2004, she formally opened what was claimed to be the first navigable aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
built in the South West of England for some two hundred years, carrying the Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
over the A350 at Semington
Semington
Semington is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village is about south of Melksham and about northeast of Trowbridge.The parish includes the hamlets of Littlemarsh and Littleton....
, part of the village's new bypass scheme, with de Rhe Philipe commenting:
In May 2004, at Shalbourne
Shalbourne
Shalbourne is a civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. Besides a village of the same name, the parish includes a number of widely spaced small settlements, including Bagshot and Stype, to the north, and Rivar and Oxenwood to the south...
near Marlborough, she led conservationists in a mass planting of Horseshoe Vetch
Horseshoe Vetch
Hippocrepis comosa, known as Horseshoe Vetch, is a flowering plant. It is the sole food of the butterfly species Polyommatus coridon, or the Chalkhill Blue....
, designed to attract the Chalkhill Blue
Chalkhill Blue
The Chalkhill Blue is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.Males have pale silvery-blue wings with black and white border . Females are dark brown, also with the black and white borders...
butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
to the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
.
In December 2007, she signed an agreement to launch the £90 million Waterside development of land by the River Biss
River Biss
The River Biss is a small river in Wiltshire, England and is a tributary of the Avon. The name is of uncertain origin; it is claimed that the word is from the Old Norse bisa, meaning "to strive".-Progress:...
in Trowbridge
Trowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
, commenting that the contract was a significant step forward.
In February 2008, in stating her support for the Westbury Bypass
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
road scheme, she said:
In March 2008, as Wiltshire cabinet member for Environment and Transport, de Rhé-Philipe submitted a memorandum to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee stating support for "the restoration and economic regeneration of canal corridors".
She is Chairman of SWERCOTS Ltd, a company delivering a regional local government project called Consumer Direct South West, and also a member of the Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
Sub Regional Steering Group and the Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
Transportation Plan Joint Committee.
In June 2009 she was elected to the new Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
, as a Conservative member for Warminster Without
Warminster
Warminster is a town in western Wiltshire, England, by-passed by the A36, and near Frome and Westbury. It has a population of about 17,000. The River Were runs through the town and can be seen running through the middle of the town park. The Minster Church of St Denys sits on the River Were...
.
See also
- Wiltshire Council election, 1997Wiltshire Council election, 1997Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 1 May 1997. The whole council was up for election and the result was no overall control, with the Conservatives as the largest party....
- Wiltshire Council election, 2001
- Wiltshire Council election, 2005Wiltshire Council election, 2005Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 5 May 2005. The whole council was up for election and the Conservatives held onto control.Most electoral divisions had boundary changes, and several were new, including three new two-member divisions, in Salisbury and Trowbridge.As with other...
- Wiltshire Council election, 2009Wiltshire Council election, 2009Elections to Wiltshire Council, a new unitary authority, were held on 4 June 2009.The whole council of 98 members was up for election, with each member elected in a single-member electoral division...