Alan Roy Billings (born 7 October 1942) is an Anglican priest and

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

politician who is currently the

South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner The South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner of the South Yorkshire Police in South Yorkshire. The post was created on 22 November 2012, following an election held on 15 November 2012, and replaced the S ...

Early life and education

Billings was born into a working-class family in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

in 1942. His father, Paul Billings, worked at Imperial Typewriters and his mother, Dorothy (), at Byfords Hosiery. He was educated at

Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys was a grammar school in Leicester, England, in existence from 1876 to 1976. It was succeeded by the present-day Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College. History After William Wyggeston's death in 1536, his brot ...

, Leicester. He went on to study

Theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

(1962-5), receiving a BA degree. He holds a Certificate in Education from

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

and further degrees from

Leicester University , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

and the

New York Theological Seminary The New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) is a private non-denominational Christian seminary in New York City. It was founded in 1900 as the Bible Teacher's College. In 2019, Rev. LaKeesha Walrond was appointed as the first woman and the first Af ...

Career

Billings trained as a priest at

Lincoln Theological College Lincoln Theological College was a theological college in Lincoln, United Kingdom. History Founded by Edward White Benson, when he was Chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral, the college opened on 25 January 1874. It was also known as ''Scholae Cancella ...

. He was ordained deacon and priest in

Leicester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Martin, Leicester, commonly known as Leicester Cathedral, is a Church of England cathedral in Leicester, England and the seat of the Bishop of Leicester. The church was elevated to a collegiate church in 1922 ...

and was curate at St Mary, Knighton, Leicester. He was an elected member of

Leicester City Council Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently control ...

for three years. He served as a parish priest in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

St Silas Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and ...

, Broomhall, and St Mary, Beighton. He then became Head of Religious and Social Studies at Broadway School, Barnsley, before returning to parish ministry as Vicar of St Mary,

Walkley Walkley is a suburb of Sheffield, England, west of Burngreave, south of Hillsborough and north-east of Crookes. The area consists mainly of Victorian stone-fronted terraced housing and has a relatively high student population. It also has a ...

. While a parish priest in

he was also a member of

Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under No Overall Contr ...

, becoming Deputy Leader when

David Blunkett David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2015, and previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough ...

was Leader (1975–86), and a member of the governing body of Sheffield City Polytechnic. The later years were times of conflict between local authorities and the government of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

. He was a member of the Archbishops' Commission on Urban Priority Areas which produced the report ''

Faith in the City ''Faith in the City: A Call for Action by Church and Nation'' was a report published in the United Kingdom in autumn 1985, authored by the authored by Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's Commission on Urban Priority Areas. The report create ...

'', following the inner-city riots of 1981 (1983-5). He was Vice Principal of

Ripon College, Cuddesdon Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England. The College trains men and women for ministry in the Church of England: stipendiary, non-stipendiary, local ordained and lay min ...

, Oxford, an Anglican theological college, and Director of the Oxford Institute for Church and Society (1986–92). He became Principal of the West Midlands Ministerial Training Course and Acting Principal of Queens College, Birmingham, an ecumenical theological college (1991-4). He then returned to parish ministry as Vicar of St George, Kendal, Cumbria. He was an honorary Senior Research Fellow of

Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...

and Director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion (1994-2007), researching the contribution of inter-faith activities towards community cohesion and the attitude of 15 year olds to people of another faith in North West

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...

s. He has held a number of positions in the public sector. He was a board member of the Funding Agency for Schools (1997-9); a Schools Adjudicator (1999-2006); a member of the Home Office Community Cohesion Panel (2002-4). He was a board member of the

Youth Justice Board The Youth Justice Board ( cy, Bwrdd Cyfiawnder Ieuenctid), for England and Wales (YJB) is a non-departmental public body created by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to oversee the youth justice system for England and Wales. It is sponsored by the ...

for England and Wales (2004–11), Chair of the Cumbria Courts Board and a member of the England Committee of the

Big Lottery Fund The National Lottery Community Fund, legally named the Big Lottery Fund, is a non-departmental public body responsible for distributing funds raised by the National Lottery for "good causes". Since 2004 it has awarded over £9 billion to ...

(2007–13). He has been a contributor to BBC Radio 4's ''

Thought for the Day ''Thought for the Day'' is a daily scripted slot on the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7:45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Nowadays lastin ...

''. He is a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

and an emeritus canon of

Carlisle Cathedral Carlisle Cathedral is a grade-I listed Anglican cathedral in the city of Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Carlisle.Tim Tatton-Brown and John ...

Police and Crime Commissioner

In 2014 Billings was selected as the Labour Party candidate for the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner by-election, to replace the former PCC and Rotherham Borough councillor,

Shaun Wright Shaun Wright (born January 1968) is a British politician. He was the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner from 2012 to 2014. He was the first person to hold the post, to which he was elected as a Labour Party candidate on 15 November 2 ...

. He received just over 50% of first preference votes on the first ballot and was elected. The turnout was 14.8%. He had the task of holding the

South Yorkshire Police South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is the territorial police force responsible for policing South Yorkshire in England. The force is led by Chief Constable Lauren Poultney. Oversight is conducted by Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings. T ...

force to account during highly publicised and difficult times – the searching of the home of Sir Cliff Richard, and the aftermath of the Professor

Alexis Jay Alexandrina Henderson Farmer Jay, OBE (born 25 April 1949) is a British academic. She is visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde and the independent chair of thCentre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection(CELCIS). Follo ...

and

Louise Casey Louise Casey, Baroness Casey of Blackstock, (born 29 March 1965) is a British government official working in social welfare. She was the deputy director of Shelter in 1992, head of the Rough Sleepers' Unit (RSU) in 1999, a director of the n ...

Reports into Child Exploitation in Rotherham and the conclusion of the Hillsborough inquests into the death of 96 men, women and children at Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in 1989. He also helped secure Home Office funding for

to continue their investigation into the disappearance of

Ben Needham Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( ...

as a toddler on the Greek Island of Kos. He is seeking to build bridges between the force and the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, agreeing in 2016 that an archivist should be appointed to put the archives in order, employed by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. In April 2016 the Hillsborough inquests concluded bringing in verdicts of unlawful killing. The jury also said that Liverpool football supporters did not cause or contribute towards the deaths of the 96.

and its Chief Constable received immediate criticism as a result of which Billings suspended him citing an erosion of trust and confidence. This was challenged in the High Court by way of judicial review when the suspension and later dismissal were both found to be unlawful. Billings appointed the Deputy Chief Constable of Durham as the new chief constable from November 2016. In 2021, Billings criticised the use of

smart motorways A smart motorway (formerly managed motorway and active traffic management), also known in Scotland as an intelligent transport system, is a section of motorway in the United Kingdom (primarily in England) that employs active traffic managemen ...

Personal life

Billings married

Veronica Hardstaff Veronica Mary Tutt Hardstaff Billings (born 23 October 1941) is a British politician, who has served as a City councillor in Sheffield and as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). A member of the Labour Party, she is on the left of the par ...

in 2007, a former Labour councillor on

and Member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

for Lincolnshire and Humberside South (1994–99). He was previously married to Daphne Thomas (1966–93), with whom he had two sons, and

Linda Woodhead Linda Jane Pauline Woodhead (born 15 February 1964) is a British academic specialising in the religious studies and sociology of religion at King's College London Faculty of Arts and Humanities. She is best known for her work on religious cha ...

(1994-2002).

Bibliography

Billings has written a number of books: *''Dying and Grieving: A Guide to Pastoral Ministry'' (2002) *''Secular Lives, Sacred Hearts: The Role of the Church in a Time of No Religion'' (2004) *''God and Community Cohesion: Help or Hindrance?'' (2009) *''Making God Possible: The task of ordained ministry present and future'' (2010) *''Lost Church: Why we must find it again'' (2013) *''The Dove, the Fig Leaf and the Sword: Why Christianity changes its mind about war'' (2014).

References

External links

Youth Justice Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billings, Alan, Dr 20th-century English Anglican priests 21st-century English Anglican priests Academics of Lancaster University Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Alumni of Lincoln Theological College Alumni of the University of Leicester Canons (priests) Councillors in Sheffield Labour Party (UK) councillors Living people People educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys People from Leicester Politicians from Sheffield Police and crime commissioners of South Yorkshire 1942 births