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. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

. She served as the leader of Stevenage Borough Council in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

between 2006 and 2022. In October 2022, it was announced that she would receive a life peerage, sitting in the House of Lords for the Labour Party. On 28 October 2022, she was created ''Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, of Stevenage in the County of Hertfordshire''. She took her seat on 31 October 2022. A member of the Labour Party, Taylor became a local councillor in 1997, representing her home area of

Symonds Green Symonds Green is a neighbourhood within the English new town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Although predominantly a residential area with a mixture of public-sector, charitable and private housing dating mostly from the 1970s, the open common land ...

, and leader of the council in 2006. Before this, she was Head of Executive Support at Hertfordshire Constabulary. Before that, she worked for John Lewis and British Aerospace. In 2008, Taylor became a county councillor for Hertfordshire County Council. In the 2010, 2015 and 2017 general elections, she unsuccessfully contested the constituency of

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large 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, Stevena ...

. She was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established 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 Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hon ...

. Taylor is divorced and has three children. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor of Stevenage, Sharon Taylor, Baroness Living people 1956 births Labour Party (UK) councillors Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Charles III 21st-century English women politicians People from Stevenage 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