Rosalind Carol "Ros" Scott, Baroness Scott of Needham Market (born 10 August 1957) is a British Liberal Democrat politician, non-executive director of the

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

and a member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. Baroness Scott was president of the Liberal Democrats between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010 and was succeeded by

Tim Farron Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since ...

Early life and education

The daughter of Kenneth Vincent and Carol Leadbeater, she was born in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. Her father, an RAF serviceman, was posted abroad through much of her childhood, including

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. She was educated at Whitby Grammar School and Kent School, Hostert, in Germany. She was further educated at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

, where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in European Studies with German in 1999. Scott worked for the Passage Day Care Centre and is Honourable President of the East Coast Sailing Trust. She is also patron of the Pickerel Environment Project, the Pakenham Water Mill Trust and the Wings of Hope Charity Appeal.

Political career

Local government (1991–2005)

She was a Liberal Democrat councillor in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

from 1991 to 2005, representing Needham Market on Mid Suffolk District Council (1991–94) and Bosmere on Suffolk County Council (1993-2005). She held a number of positions on the County Council, including Group Leader in the joint administration with the Labour Party. She was appointed to the

Local Government Association The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local government in England, local authorities in England and Wales. Its core membership is made up of 317 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the ...

Transport Executive in 1997, became Chair in 2001 and is now Vice-President of the organisation. She represented UK local government in Europe as a member of the

Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

from 1997 to 2001 and as part of the North Sea Commission.

House of Lords (2000–present)

On 11 May 2000, she was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baroness Scott of Needham Market, of

Needham Market Needham Market is a small town in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, set in the Gipping Valley. Nearby villages include Barking, Suffolk, Barking, Darmsden, Badley and Creeting St Mary. The town is located just east of the A14 road ( ...

in the County of

. Baroness Scott has served on numerous committees in the House of Lords, including the domestic Liaison Committee and the Communication Committee. She served on the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill from July 2011 to March 2012, taking the view that the House of Lords needs major reform. She currently serves on the European Union Committee and chairs its Energy and Environment Sub-Committee.

Liberal Democrats

In 2008, she stood down as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Communities and Local Government to concentrate on being a candidate to be President of the Liberal Democrats. On 8 November 2008, it was announced that she had won the ballot of party members to become President of the Liberal Democrats, beating Lembit Öpik by a margin of 72% to 22%. She took office as President on 1 January 2009. She later stood down as president and was succeeded by

in 2011.

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (2015–2017)

At the 36th Annual Congress of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), held in Budapest, Hungary from 19 to 21 November 2015, she was elected to be one of ALDE's seven Vice-Presidents for a two-year term.

Professional life

She has been a non-executive director at

Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited, trading as Lloyd's Register (LR), is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research ...

, Entrust, the Landfill Tax regulator and ITV, and was also a member of the Commission for Integrated Transport

think-tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

. She is currently a non-executive director of the Harwich Haven Authority, and is the Liberal Democrat-nominated member of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Personal life

Scott was married, but was divorced later. She has a daughter, Sally, and a son, Jamie. On 22 April 2008 she married fellow Liberal Democrat, Mark Valladares.

References

External links

UK Parliament siteLiberal Democrat presidential campaign siteBiography
from Dods Online
Biography
from the UK Parliament website {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Rosalind 1957 births Living people Members of Suffolk County Council Alumni of the University of East Anglia Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Scott of Needham Market Women councillors in England