Paul James Scriven, Baron Scriven of Hunters Bar in the City of Sheffield (born 7 February 1966), is a Liberal Democrat politician and life peer. Leader of Sheffield City Council from 2008 to 2011, he was once described as Nick Clegg's "closest ally in local government".[1] Scriven has been a member of the House of Lords since 2014.
The Lord Scriven | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Leader of Sheffield City Council | |
| In office 2008–2011 | |
| Preceded by | Jan Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Julie Dore |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 19 September 2014 Life peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Paul James Scriven 7 February 1966 |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse |
David Black (m. 2017) |
| Alma mater | Manchester Polytechnic |
Early and professional life
editScriven was raised on a council estate in Huddersfield in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[2] He was educated at Rawthorpe High School, Huddersfield. After working for two years for a road construction firm, he returned to education at 18 to study his O-levels and A-levels at Huddersfield Technical College. He attended Manchester Polytechnic (later Manchester Metropolitan University) to read for a BA. From 1989 to 1990 he was president of its students' union.[citation needed]
He started his graduate working life on the 'fast tracked' geneal management trainee scheme in the National Health Service. After the scheme he worked at a number of NHS hospitals and NHS organisations in senior roles. He left the NHS after 10 years to work for a number of private companies that worked alongside public services. Scriven professional life outside politics now is self employed working in consultancy and leadership development.
In 2020 Scriven was awarded an honorary doctorate from Manchester Metropolitan University for his services to public sector reform and international LGBT asylum issues. Scriven undertook to support the university's first generation programme of supporting more people to go the university from households with a history of family members not entering higher education.[citation needed]
Political career
editScriven was elected to Sheffield City Council in May 2000 for the Broomhill ward and became Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in 2002.[3] He then became Leader of the Council in 2008, following the local elections which saw the Liberal Democrats take control of Sheffield City Council.[4]
At the 2010 general election, he was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Sheffield Central constituency, nearly gaining a solid Labour seat with was narrowly held by Labour's Paul Blomfield Scriven missed out by just 165 votes.[5]
Following the 2010 election, Scriven remained as Leader of the Council and, in November of that year, he received a Leader Award from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, awarded annually to "recognise... the work of outstanding local and regional liberal and democrat politicians".[6]
In April 2011, The Guardian newspaper described Scriven as the "closest ally in local government" to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP. In the article, he discussed the coalition government's decision to "front-load" local government spending cuts and claimed it was right to do so, saying it would not have worked to stage the reductions across four years.[1]
In the May 2011 local elections in Sheffield, Labour regained control of the Council and Scriven resigned as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group.[7] A year later in the 2012 elections, Scriven lost his Broomhill seat.[8]
On 8 August 2014 it was announced that Scriven had been appointed as a Liberal Democrat life peer.[9] He was created Baron Scriven, of Hunters Bar in the City of Sheffield, on 23 September 2014.[10] During his time in the Lords Scriven has worked on issues around human rights abuses in Bahrain and Gulf states, improving the immigration system especially for LGBT+ applicants, campaigning for a federal UK through the regions with proper fiscal devolution, local government reform, NHS reform and social care issues as well highlighting civil liberties issues related to technology and IT.
During the 2015 general election campaign, Lord Scriven made media headlines when he claimed on Twitter that Cameron had privately told Clegg that he did not believe the Conservatives would win a majority in a conversation before the election campaign.[11] In the end, the Conservatives won a surprise majority.
In May 2016, Scriven was again elected onto Sheffield City Council, for the ward of Ecclesall Ward.[12] He announced that he would not be seeking re-election to the Council when his term ended in May 2019.[13]
Scriven became the first man in the modern House of Lords (other than clergymen) to speak without a tie in a debate in July 2017.[14]
Scriven was joint acting Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesperson for Health in the Lords during 2020 at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. He advocated for an equal partnership between local and national government that he said was vital to deal with public health issues that would arise. He also called for a locally led test and trace system along with realistic support for those who are required to self isolate. Scriven was outspoken in pursuit of holding Conservative Ministers to account for the cronyism in awarding of contracts during the pandemic via the "fast track" channel.
In October 2024 Scriven was appointed as the Liberal Democrats frontbench spokesperson for Health in the Lords.
Personal life
editScriven has lived in the Hunters Bar area, which he has taken his title from, of Sheffield since 1998.
He is a keen walker and cyclist as well as knowledgeable about the Scottish whisky trade.
In June 2017, Scriven married David Black, who had been his partner of twenty-two years.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ a b "Nick Clegg ally admits scale of spending cuts may turn Sheffield council red". The Guardian. 18 April 2011.
- ^ "Lib Dems chief pledges more power to the people". Sheffield Telegraph. 29 April 2008.
- ^ "Scriven quits: Former council chief gives up Sheffield Lib Dems leadership after poll disaster". Sheffield Star. 10 May 2011.
- ^ "ELECTIONS 'O8: Lib-Dems ready for new era". Sheffield Star. 3 May 2008.
- ^ "UK > England > Yorkshire & the Humber > Sheffield Central". Election 2010. BBC. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "Lib Dem leader of Sheffield Council wins top European honour". Lib Dem Voice. 16 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ "Three-year 'revolution' ends". The Sheffield Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ "Sheffield City Council - Broomhill Ward 2012 Local Election Result". Archived from the original on 1 September 2012.
- ^ "Karren Brady and Sir Stuart Rose among new life peers". BBC News. BBC. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "No. 60998". The London Gazette. 25 September 2014. p. 18642.
- ^ "Lord Scriven defends 'no majority' tweet". BBC News. BBC. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ^ "Sheffield City Council - Ecclesall ward local election result 2016". Archived from the original on 3 June 2016.
- ^ "Former Council Leader bids farewell to Sheffield politics". 20 March 2019.
- ^ Hope, Christopher (20 July 2017). "Tieless LibDem peer leads 'quiet revolution' in the Lords, saying 'No one objected or made a scene'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
- ^ Scriven, Paul [@Paulscriven] (24 June 2017). "I give you you my husband Mr David Black!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 February 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Lord Scriven (1 February 2019). "Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc.) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 1300–1301.