Dorothy Thornhill, Baroness Thornhill, (born 26 May 1955) was the first directly elected mayor of
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, Hertfordshire, England. She was the Liberal Democrats' first directly elected mayor, and was also the first female directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. She served as
Mayor of Watford
The Mayor of Watford is the head of the borough council of Watford, Hertfordshire, England. The holder of the position is a directly elected mayor using the supplementary vote every four years. The current mayor of Watford is Peter Taylor, who ...
from May 2002 until May 2018. She was nominated for 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. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
age in August 2015.
Political career
In May 2002, Thornhill became the first elected mayor of Watford Borough with a majority of over 8,000 after second choice votes were counted.
Thornhill increased her majority when she was re-elected as mayor in May 2006, gaining more than 50% of the vote in the first round and a majority of over 7,000.
Thornhill was ranked the 41st most influential Liberal Democrat in the country, in an article by ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
''. They stated:
"Dorothy Thornhill overcame tough opposition to become the first directly LibDem mayor in 2002 and she was re-elected in 2006.
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
is a target seat for the 'LibDems' at the next election and her tenure as mayor will prove crucial to their fortunes."
At a Liberal Democrat
town hall meeting
Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or ...
in
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
, in February 2010, the leader of the party,
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicep ...
was asked whether he felt the Mayor was right to earn the same wage as a member of parliament whether she was "value for money", and in response he named her "one of the best mayors in this country".
Thornhill was re-elected in May 2010, for a third term in office, with a majority of 11,921, becoming the second directly elected mayor in the UK to do so. She was appointed a
Member 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 ...
(MBE) in the
2011 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2011 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2011 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,Watford constituency in the parliamentary elections on 7 May 2015 as the Liberal Democrat candidate. She won 10,152 votes compared to the Labour candidate's 14,606 and the Conservative candidate's 24,400.
On 21 October 2015, 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. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
as Baroness Thornhill, of Watford in the County of Hertfordshire. She decided not to stand in the 2018 mayoral election and was succeeded by fellow Liberal Democrat
Peter Taylor Peter Taylor may refer to:
Arts
* Peter Taylor (writer) (1917–1994), American author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
* Peter Taylor (film editor) (1922–1997), English film editor, winner of an Academy Award for Film Editing
Politi ...
.
As a Liberal Democrat peer, Thornhill led the party's internal review into their performance in the 2019 general election, which was published in May 2020.
She ranked 15 out of 50 on the Top 50 Influential Lib Dems of 2020 list.
Personal life
Thornhill was assistant head teacher at
Queens' School
Queens' School, near Watford, Hertfordshire, is a partially selective secondary school and sixth form with academy status. It currently is a specialist science and sports college.
History
The story of Queens' begins with two schools in Watf ...
in
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It has a population of over 25,000 inhabitants. Bushey Heath is a large neighbourhood south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow ...
for several years and had a teaching career spanning over 25 years.About the Elected Mayor – Watford Borough Council
Thornhill lives in the
Oxhey
Oxhey is a suburb of Watford, under the jurisdiction of the Watford Borough Council of the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is located at and is part of the Watford. It is in the Oxhey Ward of Watford Borough Council.
Oxhey grew during t ...
area of Watford, where she was a borough councillor for several years. She states on the Watford Council website "In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, watching rugby and football and visiting old churches" and she describes herself as "an avid viewer of ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Orig ...
''". She is an Honorary Vice-President of
Watford Football Club
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football.
The club’s original foundation is 1881, aligned with that of its anteced ...
. She is married to Cllr Iain Sharpe, a fellow Liberal Democrat. She is a regular Twitter user.