Lucy Kathleen Nethsingha (born 6 February 1973) is a British

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician, a member of

Cambridgeshire County Council Cambridgeshire County Council is the county council of Cambridgeshire, England. The council consists of 61 councillors, representing 59 electoral divisions. The council is based at New Shire Hall at Alconbury Weald, near Huntingdon. It is a me ...

since 2009. She was a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) for the East of England from

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

until the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU in 2020. She was chair of the Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI).

Early life

She attended the comprehensive Penair School, in Truro, to the age of 16. She attended the

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

of the independent

Truro School Truro School is a coeducational independent day and boarding school located in the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. It is the largest coeducational independent school in Cornwall with over 1050 pupils from pre-prep to sixth form. It is a membe ...

, then gained a BSc degree in Psychology from the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

Politics

Nethsingha served as a Liberal Democrat councillor on

Gloucester City Council Gloucester City Council is the local authority for Gloucester, which is split into 18 wards, with a total of 39 councillors elected to serve on the City Council. History The district was formed from the County Borough of Gloucester on 1 April 1 ...

from 2004 to 2008. After moving to Cambridgeshire, Nethsingha was elected for the Newnham division on

as a Liberal Democrat at the 2009 election, and has been leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the council since 2015 (she had previously been deputy leader since 2011). Since

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, she has also represented the Newnham ward on

Cambridge City Council Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, which governs the City of Cambridge. History Cambridge was granted a Royal Charter by King John in 1207, which permitted the appointment of a mayor. The first recorde ...

. She unsuccessfully contested the

North East Cambridgeshire North East Cambridgeshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Steve Barclay, a Conservative. Constituency profile This large and rural seat is in The Fens and has a significant farming and ...

parliamentary constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

in the 2015 general election, finishing in fourth place out of five candidates with 2,314 votes (4.5%). In the snap general election held two years later, she contested South East Cambridgeshire and finished last out of three candidates with 11,958 votes (19.0%). Nethsingha became a Member of the European Parliament in the

2019 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in coun ...

, until 2020 when the United Kingdom left the EU. After the 2021 Cambridgeshire County Council election she became leader of the council after agreeing a deal with the Labour and Independent groups.

Personal life and professional career

Nethsingha grew up in Cornwall, which she states made her aware of the importance of caring for the environment. She is a teacher by profession and holds a master's degree from the University of Cambridge. She is married and has three children. Her husband,

Andrew Nethsingha Andrew Nethsingha, FRCO, ARCM (born 16 May 1968) is an English choral conductor and organist, the son of the late Lucian Nethsingha, also a cathedral organist. He was appointed Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey in Lo ...

, has been the Director of Music at and a Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, since 2007."Register of members' disclosable pecuniary interests"
Cambridgeshire County Council, 6 May 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nethsingha, Lucy 1973 births Living people Alumni of the University of Southampton MEPs for England 2019–2020 Liberal Democrats (UK) MEPs 21st-century women MEPs for England Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates Members of Cambridgeshire County Council Leaders of local authorities of England People from Truro People educated at Truro School Women councillors in England