Sheila Faith

Sheila Faith
MP MEP
Sheila Faith MP MEP
Member of Parliament ; for Belper
	In office; 3 May 1979 – 13 May 1983
Preceded by	Roderick MacFarquhar
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the European Parliament ; for Cumbria and Lancashire North
	In office; 1984–1989
Preceded by	Elaine Kellett-Bowman
Succeeded by	Richard Fletcher-Vane
Personal details
Born	Irene Sheila Book; 3 June 1928; Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Died	28 September 2014 (aged 86); Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England
Political party	Conservative

Irene Sheila Faith (née Book; 3 June 1928 – 28 September 2014

University of Durham

.

Early career

Faith qualified as a dental surgeon in 1950, the same year she married Dennis Faith. She was a Justice of the Peace serving on the bench in Northumberland and later in Newcastle upon Tyne. She began her political career in 1970 when she was elected to Northumberland County Council from a division in Newcastle, and served until the area was removed from the county in boundary changes in 1974. She then fought Newcastle upon Tyne Central in the October 1974 general election.^[2] From 1975 to 1978 she was a member of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council for the ward of Newburn No. 3.^[3]

Parliament

In 1977 Faith was selected as candidate for

Private bills, and was Secretary of the Conservative backbench Health and Social Services Committee from 1979–83.^[4]

She spoke on behalf of the pharmacists, nurses, and on medical affairs in general.

Boundary changes due to be implemented at the 1983 general election abolished the Belper constituency, with the majority of the voters going to a new South Derbyshire constituency which was estimated to be easier for Labour to win. Faith decided that she would not offer herself for reselection there, but attempted to get a more winnable seat elsewhere.^[5] She attended several selection committees but was not selected, and therefore went out of Parliament after one term. South Derbyshire selected another woman, the younger Birmingham city councillor Edwina Currie, who was elected with a majority of more than 8,000.

European Parliament and after

The decision of

British Parliament gave Faith the opportunity to resume a political career at the headquarters of the European Community

, of which she was a strong supporter of British membership.

Later, she was elected MEP for

Parole Board of England and Wales

from 1991 to 1994 by the Conservative government. Sheila Faith was president of the Cumbria and Lancashire North Constituency Council from 1989–95.

References

^ The Times, 7 October 2014, p. 57.
^ "The Times guide to the House of Commons, October 1974", pp. 200–201.
^ "Women Councillors". Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
^ "Dod's Parliamentary Companion" 1983, p. 388.
^ Anthony Bevins, "Four more Tory MPs face seats challenge", The Times, 25 March 1983, p. 4.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sheila Faith

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Roderick MacFarquhar	Member of Parliament for Belper 1979–1983	Constituency abolished
European Parliament
Preceded by Elaine Kellett-Bowman	Member of the European Parliament for Cumbria and Lancashire North 1984–1989	Succeeded by Richard Fletcher-Vane

[1] The Times, 7 October 2014, p. 57.

[2] "The Times guide to the House of Commons, October 1974", pp. 200–201.

[3] "Women Councillors". Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2010.

[4] "Dod's Parliamentary Companion" 1983, p. 388.

[5] Anthony Bevins, "Four more Tory MPs face seats challenge", The Times, 25 March 1983, p. 4.

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