Eric Pickles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Pickles
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2024
|
|
| United Kingdom Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues | |
| Assumed office 10 September 2015 |
|
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Robert Andrew Burns |
| United Kingdom Anti-Corruption Champion | |
| In office 11 May 2015 – 11 December 2017 |
|
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Matt Hancock |
| Succeeded by | John Penrose |
| Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | |
| In office 12 May 2010 – 11 May 2015 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | John Denham |
| Succeeded by | Greg Clark |
| Minister of State for Faith | |
| In office 6 August 2014 – 11 May 2015 |
|
| Prime Minister | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Warsi |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 19 January 2009 – 12 May 2010 |
|
| Leader | David Cameron |
| Preceded by | Caroline Spelman |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Assumed life peerage 18 June 2018 |
|
| Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar |
|
| In office 9 April 1992 – 3 May 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Robert McCrindle |
| Succeeded by | Alex Burghart |
| Shadow Cabinet portfolios | |
| 2002 | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government and the Regions |
| 2003–2005 | Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government |
| 2007–2009 | Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Eric Jack Pickles
20 April 1952 Keighley, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Irene Coates |
| Alma mater | Leeds Metropolitan University |
| Website | |
Eric Jack Pickles, Baron Pickles (born 20 April 1952) is a British politician from the Conservative Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar from 1992 to 2017. He was a key member of David Cameron's government, serving as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015.
Before that, he was the Chairman of the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2010. Later, he became the United Kingdom Anti-Corruption Champion from 2015 to 2017. In 2015, Pickles was also appointed as the UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues. He continued in this role even after leaving Parliament in 2017, serving under Prime Ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak. As of 2023, he is the chairman of Conservative Friends of Israel in the House of Lords.
Contents
Early Life & Education
Eric Jack Pickles was born on 20 April 1952, in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were Jack and Constance Pickles. He went to Greenhead Grammar School, which is now called University Academy Keighley. After that, he studied at Leeds Polytechnic. Eric grew up in a family that supported the Labour Party. His great-grandfather was even one of the people who started the Independent Labour Party. When he was a boy, Pickles said he was "massively inclined" towards communism.
Joining the Young Conservatives
In 1968, when the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, Eric Pickles decided to join the local Keighley Branch of the Young Conservatives. He later explained that he joined because he was "so shocked by the tanks" and it "made me feel better."
Pickles quickly became the chairman of the local Young Conservatives group. During his time there, he was part of the Joint Committee Against Racism from 1982 to 1987, and later became its chairman. As the national Young Conservative chairman, he faced challenges from other groups. He also took action against some members in Bradford who held extreme views, removing them from local party groups.
Serving as a Bradford Councillor
Pickles was first elected to the Bradford Council in 1979, representing the Worth Valley area. He led the Council's Social Services Committee from 1982 to 1984, and then the Education Committee from 1984 to 1986.
Between 1988 and 1990, he was the leader of the Conservative group on the council. In September 1988, the Conservative Party gained control of the council. This was unusual because it became the only major city council controlled by the Conservatives at that time. Pickles made some big changes while at Bradford. He announced a five-year plan to cut the council's budget and reduce the number of staff. He also planned to privatise some services. A book called The Pickles Papers was written about his time leading the council.
Parliamentary Career
Eric Pickles was elected as the Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar in 1992.
In the 2001 general election, an independent politician named Martin Bell ran against Pickles. Despite this challenge, Pickles kept his seat, winning with 38% of the votes. He then served in various roles for the opposition party. He was the Shadow Minister for Transport and London from 2001 to 2002. After that, he became the Shadow Minister for Local Government from 2002.
In the 2005 general election, Pickles won his seat again with a much larger majority. This made his seat one of the safest for the Conservative Party in Eastern England. On 2 July 2007, David Cameron appointed Pickles to the Shadow Cabinet as the shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Pickles was the campaign manager for the successful Crewe and Nantwich by-election in May 2008. After this, he was promoted to Chairman of the Conservative Party. He held this important role from January 2009 to May 2010.
In early 2010, Pickles defended the "first-past-the-post" voting system, saying it leads to stable government. He became the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in David Cameron's government from May 2010 to May 2015.
Although he had previously been cautious about the European Union, in January 2016, Pickles joined a group called Conservatives For Reform In Europe. This group supported staying in the European Union if it could be reformed. In April 2017, Pickles announced that he would not stand for re-election in the general election that year. Later, he became the chairman of The Parliamentary Review, a journal about Parliament.
On 4 October 2022, Pickles mentioned that he had attended his 52nd Conservative Party Annual Conference in a row.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Pickles became the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 12 May 2010, as part of David Cameron's new government. He was also sworn in as a Privy Counsellor the next day.
In his role, Pickles announced plans in July 2010 to give local people more power over council tax increases. He wanted local councils to be directly accountable to the people who pay taxes. He said that if councils wanted to increase council tax, they would have to explain why to the voters. This would allow people to decide if they accepted the rise or preferred lower services with a smaller increase.
In August 2010, Pickles also announced the closure of the Audit Commission for England and Wales. This commission used to check how local councils spent their money and managed their finances. The closure was completed in March 2015. Some people worried that without the commission, it would be harder to check if councils were managing their money well.
Pickles is known for not avoiding difficult topics. In The Observer, Will Hutton commented that Pickles worked with George Osborne to reduce the role of local government.
Localism Act
Pickles was in charge of the Localism Act 2011, a law that changed the powers of local government in England. This Act aimed to give local communities more control over decisions. For example, it allowed for more elected mayors and referendums. A key part of the Act states that "a local council has power to do anything that individuals generally may do." This means councils can do almost anything unless a law specifically forbids it.
The bill for the Localism Act was introduced by Pickles in December 2010 and became law on 15 November 2011. However, shortly after it was published, some people questioned its impact. For example, on the same day the bill was published, Pickles made a decision about a planning appeal. He allowed a gas plant to be built in Gloucestershire, even though over 1,000 local residents and many local councils were against it. This decision seemed to go against the idea of giving local communities more control.
By April 2014, Pickles and his department had the final say over building wind turbines. By October 2014, Pickles had rejected 50 windfarm projects, even when planning inspectors had recommended approving them.
Council Prayers
In February 2012, a High Court ruling said that formal Christian prayers during local council meetings were not lawful. This meant councillors who didn't want to participate felt pressured to attend. The court said that the religious views of one group should not force or burden others. Prayers were still allowed before the official meeting started.
Eric Pickles disagreed with this decision and wanted to change the law. He quickly brought forward a part of his Localism Act to allow councils to hold prayers as part of their official business. He wrote to faith leaders and council leaders, telling parish councils they could include prayers. In April 2013, Pickles stated that "militant atheists" should accept that Britain is a Christian country. In 2015, the Local Government (Religious Observances) Act was passed, which allowed councils to hold prayers at the start of their sessions. Pickles welcomed this new law.
Troubled Families Programme
Pickles led the Troubled Families Programme, which aimed to help 120,000 families facing many difficulties. This program cost around £400 million. The families chosen for the program had several problems, such as unemployment, crime, or children not attending school. Pickles often said these families cost the country a lot of money each year.
In March 2015, Pickles announced that the program was a "triumph." He claimed that over 105,600 families had been "turned around" and that the program saved a lot of money. However, a report published in October 2016 by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research found that the program had "no significant impact." The report said there was no clear evidence that the program made a big difference.
The Public Accounts Committee also looked into the program in December 2016. They said that the government had not shown that the program had a major impact. They also said that saying families were "turned around" was misleading because many still had problems.
Flooding in Somerset
From December 2013, the Somerset Levels experienced severe flooding. Many people wanted the rivers in the area, like the Parrett and Tone, to be dredged (cleaned out to make them deeper). The Environment Agency, which manages rivers, said that dredging would not be very helpful and that it would be better to spend money on stopping floodwaters further upstream.
On 7 February, the Environment Secretary had an urgent operation, and Eric Pickles took over managing the flood response. Pickles then appeared on The Andrew Marr Show and apologised for not dredging the Somerset Levels. He said the government might have relied too much on the Environment Agency's advice. The head of the Environment Agency, Lord Chris Smith, disagreed with Pickles' criticism of his organisation.
Personal Life
Eric Pickles married Irene Coates in 1976 in Staincliffe, which is a part of Batley in West Yorkshire.
Honours and Titles
- In 2010, Eric Pickles became a member of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council. This gave him the special title "The Right Honourable" and the letters "PC" after his name for life.
- On 22 May 2015, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor, which means he received the title "Sir."
- On 18 May 2018, he was nominated for a Life Peerage by Theresa May. This means he was given a title that lasts for his lifetime. On 18 June 2018, he became Baron Pickles, of Brentwood and Ongar in the County of Essex. He now sits in the House of Lords as a member of the Conservative Party.
Images for kids
-
Official portrait, 2024
-
Pickles gives a speech at the Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2011
-
Pickles in 2009
