Sharon Jane Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, (; born 19 January 1956), is a British politician and

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 ...

who has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing and Local Government and a Baroness-in-Waiting since July 2024. She was a member of Stevenage Borough Council in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

from 1997 to 2024, and served as the leader of the council from 2006 to 2022.

Early life

Taylor was born in

Welwyn Garden City Welwyn Garden City ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London. It was the second Garden city movement, garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first New towns in the United Kingdom, new towns (designated 1948). It is ...

on 19 January 1956 to David Severn and Joan Adele Severn (). She attended the Girls Grammar School in

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

and Hatfield Polytechnic, from which 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 ...

honours degree.

Career

In 1997, Taylor became a local councillor for the Labour Party, representing her home area of Symonds Green. She was leader of the council from 2006 to 2022. Before this, she was Head of Executive Support at Hertfordshire Constabulary. Before that, she worked for

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American civil rights activist and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

and

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft manufacturer, aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer that was formed in 1977. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. ...

. In 2008, Taylor became a county councillor for Hertfordshire County Council. At the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

and 2017 general elections, she unsuccessfully contested the constituency of

. She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) for services to local government in the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

. In October 2022, it was announced that she would receive a

life peerage 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 ...

, sitting in 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 ...

for the Labour Party. On 28 October 2022, she was created ''Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, of Stevenage in the County of Hertfordshire''. She was introduced to the Lords on 31 October 2022. In February 2023, she accepted the role of patron of the Stevenage Community Trust. Taylor has been a supporter since the trust's inception in 1990.

Personal life

Taylor is divorced and has three children: a son and two daughters.

References

Living people 1956 births Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Charles III Life peeresses created by Charles III 21st-century English women politicians Officers of the Order of the British Empire Labour Party (UK) parliamentary candidates Members of Hertfordshire County Council Women councillors in England Leaders of local authorities of England Councillors in Hertfordshire Labour Party (UK) Baronesses- and Lords-in-Waiting People from Stevenage People from Welwyn Garden City {{life-peer-stub