Irene Sheila Faith (née Book; 3 June 1928 – 28 September 2014) was a British politician and

dental surgeon A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofacial com ...

. She served one term each in the

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and

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as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

. She was a native of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

and attended Newcastle upon Tyne Central High School and the

University of Durham Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...

Early career

Faith qualified as a dental surgeon in 1950, the same year she married Dennis Faith. She was a Justice of the Peace serving on the bench in Northumberland and later in Newcastle upon Tyne. She began her political career in 1970 when she was elected to Northumberland County Council from a division in Newcastle, and served until the area was removed from the county in boundary changes in 1974. She then fought

Newcastle upon Tyne Central Newcastle upon Tyne Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Chi Onwurah of the Labour Party. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the f ...

in the October 1974 general election. From 1975 to 1978 she was a member of Newcastle upon Tyne City Council for the ward of Newburn No. 3.

Parliament

In 1977 Faith was selected as candidate for Belper, a constituency in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

which was narrowly held by

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. She managed a reasonable swing in the 1979 general election in line with the national average, which was enough to win the seat by 882 votes. Sheila Faith was one of the two woman out of 77 newcomers when she entered the House of Commons in 1979. In Parliament she became known for her internationalism, sat on the committee on unopposed

Private bill Proposed bills are often categorized into public bills and private bills. A public bill is a proposed law which would apply to everyone within its jurisdiction. This is unlike a private bill which is a proposal for a law affecting only a single ...

s, and was Secretary of the Conservative backbench Health and Social Services Committee from 1979–83. She spoke on behalf of the pharmacists, nurses, and on medical affairs in general. Boundary changes due to be implemented at the 1983 general election abolished the Belper constituency, with the majority of the voters going to a new

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district ...

constituency which was estimated to be easier for Labour to win. Faith decided that she would not offer herself for reselection there, but attempted to get a more winnable seat elsewhere.Anthony Bevins, "Four more Tory MPs face seats challenge", ''The Times'', 25 March 1983, p. 4. She attended several selection committees but was not selected, and therefore went out of Parliament after one term. South Derbyshire selected another woman, the younger

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city councillor

Edwina Currie Edwina Currie (' Cohen; born 13 October 1946) is a British writer, broadcaster and former politician, serving as Conservative Party Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire from 1983 until 1997. She was a Junior Health Minister for two years ...

, who was elected with a majority of more than 8,000.

European Parliament and after

The decision of

Elaine Kellett-Bowman Dame Mary Elaine Kellett-Bowman, DBE (née Kay; 8 July 1923 – 4 March 2014) was a British Conservative Party politician, serving as Member of Parliament ( MP) for the constituency of Lancaster for 27 years from 1970 to 1997. Life and care ...

to stand down as

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for

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

in favour of her seat in the

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gave Faith the opportunity to resume a political career at the headquarters of the

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, of which she was a strong supporter of British membership. Later, she was elected MEP for Cumbria and Lancashire North in the 1984 European election, and served one term before retiring. She was a member of the Committee on Energy, Research, and Technology. Sellafield was located in the constituency. She was appointed as an unpaid member of the Parole Board of England and Wales from 1991 to 1994 by the Conservative government. Sheila Faith was president of the Cumbria and Lancashire North Constituency Council from 1989–95.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faith, Sheila 1928 births 2014 deaths English dentists Women dentists Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1979–1983 Conservative Party (UK) MEPs 20th-century women MEPs for England MEPs for England 1984–1989 Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire 20th-century British women politicians Alumni of King's College, Newcastle 20th-century dentists