Malcolm Hunt Wicks (1 July 1947 – 29 September 2012) was a

British Labour Party The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The Labour Party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. In all ...

politician and academic specialising in

social policy Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society. Some professionals and universities consider social policy a subset of public policy, while other practitioners characterize soci ...

. He was a member of parliament (MP) from 1992, first for Croydon North West and then for Croydon North, until his death in 2012.

Early life and education

Wicks was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire to

Arthur Wicks Arthur Ernest Wicks (1915–2006) was a Labour politician and the last chairman of the London County Council. A conscientious objector during the Second World War, he was first elected to the Shoreditch Metropolitan Borough Council in the 1950 ...

, a Labour member of the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

and later

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. He was educated at the independent

Elizabeth College, Guernsey The Royal College of Elizabeth, better known as Elizabeth College, is a co-educational independent school in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. One of the earliest members of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), it is a public school ...

;

North West London Polytechnic The University of North London (UNL) was a university in London, England, formed from the Polytechnic of North London (PNL) in 1992 when that institution was granted university status. PNL, in turn, had been formed by the amalgamation of the No ...

and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

gaining a BSc in Sociology.

Early career

From 1968 to 1970, he was a research fellow of the Department of Social Administration at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for post-nominals) is a collegiate research university, located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, co ...

, then a research worker at the

Centre for Environmental Studies The Centre for Environmental Studies (CES) was an environmental think-tank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1967 by the second Wilson government as an independent charitable trust for the purpose of advancing education and research in ...

from 1970 to 1972. Wicks worked in the Urban Deprivation Unit (abolished in 1978) of the Home Office as a social policy analyst from 1974 to 1977, and was a lecturer in Social Administration at

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Jun ...

from 1970 to 1974. From 1977 to 1978, he was a lecturer in Social Policy at the Civil Service College (now called the National School of Government) in Ascot, then research director and secretary of the Study Commission on the Family from 1978 to 1983. He was later Director of the Family Policy Studies Centre from 1983 to 1992. He was the author and co-author of many publications, including ''Old and Cold: hypothermia and social policy'' and ''A Future for All: Do we need the Welfare State?'' His keen concern about fuel poverty led to him to act as a Trustee of the

National Energy Foundation The National Energy Foundation (NEF) is an independent British charity, established to improve the use of energy in buildings. Aims The charity aims to ''improve the use of energy in buildings''. This statement simplified the earlier stated ...

(1988–94). He was involved in politics in

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an exten ...

, chairing his local

Constituency Labour Party __NOTOC__ A constituency Labour Party (CLP) is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency. In England and Wales, CLP boundaries coincide with those for UK parliamentary constituenc ...

and standing for election to

Croydon Council Croydon London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Croydon in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Croydon is divided into 28 wards, electing 70 cou ...

before his election to Parliament. It was only revealed in his posthumous memoirs that in 1976 Wicks had leaked

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

papers to Frank Field at the

Child Poverty Action Group Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is a UK charity that works to alleviate poverty and social exclusion. History The Group first met on 5 March 1965, at a meeting organised by Harriett C. Wilson. It followed the publication of Brian Abel-Smith ...

. This action proved decisive in preventing the

Callaghan government Callaghan most commonly refers to O'Callaghan, an Anglicized Irish surname. Callaghan may also refer to: Places * Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia * Callaghan, Edmonton, Canada * Callaghan, Virginia, United States * Callaghan, Texas, United ...

from introducing

means test A means test is a determination of whether an individual or family is eligible for government assistance or welfare, based upon whether the individual or family possesses the means to do without that help. Canada In Canada, means tests are use ...

ing of

child benefit Child benefit or children's allowance is a social security payment which is distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adults. A number of countries operate different versions of the program. In most cou ...

Parliamentary career

He was first elected in 1992 for Croydon North West after having previously contested the seat unsuccessfully in 1987. Wicks was one of the few MPs whose

Private Member's Bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

reached the statute books, with the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 recognising the needs of family carers. He was Chairman of the

Education Select Committee The Education Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Education and any asso ...

from 1998 until his July 1999 appointment as Minister for Lifelong Learning in the

Department for Education and Employment The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system (including higher education and adult learning) as well as children's services in England. Th ...

. In July 2001 he moved to the

Department for Work and Pensions , type = Department , seal = , logo = Department for Work and Pensions logo.svg , logo_width = 166px , formed = , preceding1 = , jurisdiction = Government of the United Kingdom , headquarters = Caxton House7th Floor6–12 Tothill Stree ...

, where he spent four years, first as

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister ...

, and then as

Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...

, for Pensions. In May 2005, he was appointed as Minister for Energy at the Department of Trade and Industry in the post-election Cabinet reshuffle. In a mini-reshuffle on 10 November 2006, following the retirement of Lord Sainsbury, Wicks was appointed as Minister of State for Science and Innovation in the same department. In Gordon Brown's first reshuffle on 28 June 2007, Wicks was moved to the

Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was a United Kingdom government department. The department was created on 28 June 2007 on the disbanding of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and was itself disbanded ...

, which replaced the Department of Trade and Industry, to resume his old role as Minister for Energy. It is reported that Wicks was intended to serve in the cabinet, but the post-it note bearing his name and position fell onto the floor. He was a vice-president of Carers UK and the

Alzheimer's Society Alzheimer's Society is a United Kingdom care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers. It operates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while its sister charitieAlzheimer Scotlandand Alzheimer's Society of Ireland cover ...

. Wicks stood down from the government in October 2008 for issues relating a decommissioning scheme at Sellafield, accepting an appointment to the Privy Council and becoming the Prime Minister's special representative on international energy issues. He emerged with enhanced repution during the

MPs expenses scandal The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expenses claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous year ...

being deemed a "parliamentary angel." Wicks was re-elected as the MP for Croydon North on 6 May 2010 with an increased majority of 16,483.

Death

Wicks died on 29 September 2012, aged 65. He had been suffering from cancer.

Personal life

Wicks married Margaret Baron in 1968 and they had a son and two daughters.

References

External links

Malcolm Wicks
official site

* ttps://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/malcolm_wicks/croydon_north TheyWorkForYou.com – Malcolm Wicks MP*
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform – Malcolm Wicks, Minister of State for Energy Biography

BBC Politics
Articles by Malcolm Wicks
Tackling Two Challenges: Climate Change and Secure Supply in the United Kingdom – World Energy Magazine Vol. 9 No. 2

One on one interview with Malcom Wicks and World Energy Television

"Doctor Who can help save science, says minister"
8 January 2007

5 December 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wicks, Malcolm 1947 births 2012 deaths Academics of Brunel University London Alumni of the London School of Economics Alumni of the University of North London Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom People educated at Elizabeth College, Guernsey People from Croydon People from Hatfield, Hertfordshire Politics of the London Borough of Croydon UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 UK MPs 2001–2005 UK MPs 2005–2010 UK MPs 2010–2015 Deaths from cancer in England