Jean Urquhart

Jean Urquhart
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Highlands and Islands
(1 of 7 Regional MSPs)
Assumed office
6 May 2011
Personal details
Born (1949-05-17) 17 May 1949
Political party RISE - Scotland's Left Alliance
Independent
Scottish National Party (until 2012)
Website jeanurquharthighlandsandislandsmsp.wordpress.com

Jean Urquhart (born 17 May 1949)[1] is an independent member of the Scottish Parliament. She was elected in 2011 for the Highlands and Islands[2] then left the Scottish National Party (SNP) in October 2012. She was a SNP councillor at the Highland Council from 2003 to 2011.

Political career

In 2003 she became a Scottish National Party councillor at the Highland Council, having been elected for the Lochbroom Ward.[3] In 2007 she was returned as councillor for Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh.[4] She was then named as vice-convener to lead an Independent/ SNP administration.[5] In 2009 the Steering Group of the UK's first ever Housing Fair appointed her as its chair when this event was held near Inveness.[6][7]

In the 2011 Scottish Parliament Election she was elected from the regional list, becoming a SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands.[8] She was a member of the Scottish National Party until October 2012, when she resigned from the party over the change to the party's NATO policy.[9] In 2014, after Urquhart intervened, the Post Office Ltd made its mortgage service available to people in Bute, Lewis, Harris, Orkney, Shetland, Arran, Mull and Islay.[10] in 2015 she raised the issue of the safety of sex workers, suggesting that legislation could be introduced that would enable some transformative actions be taken.[11]

In October 2015 it was reported that she would not be seeking re-election to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.[12] The following month, having become a member of RISE – Scotland's Left Alliance, she became involved with drawing up its Highlands and Islands manifesto for this election.[13] In January 2016 RISE announced their candidates, with Urquhart named as their lead for the Highlands and Islands regional list.[14]

Awards and honours

She had been awarded a MBE in 1990 for services to the arts and the community, in recognition of the work she and her husband and others put in to establish The Ceilidh Place as a centre for the arts and tourism. She was late offered an OBE but turned it down.[15] In 2015, it was reported that she had decided to hand back her MBE, explaining that the awards system did not recognise the efforts of the many other people that had been involved.[16]

She received an honorary fellowship from the University of the Highlands and Islands in 2006.[17]

Personal life

Since 1973 she has managed "The Ceilidh Place",[2] a hotel in Ullapool which was named Venue of the Year at the Scots Trad awards in December 2014 for its championing of Scottish culture all year round.[18] She was married to Robert Urquhart, a well-known Scottish actor in British film, stage and television, who died in 1995.

In 2000 she took a Scottish Studies course at Newbattle Abbey College.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Jean Urquhart: Personal Information". Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Jean Urquhart MSP". The Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Local government elections: Election results 2003". Highland Council. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Local government elections: Election results 2007". Highland Council. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  5. ↑ "Leaders elected to north councils". BBC News (BBC). 17 May 2007.
  6. ↑ "Urquhart set to spearhead housing fair". Ross-shire Journal. 28 December 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Highland Housing Fair". Architects' Journal. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Scotland elections: Regions: Highlands and Islands". BBC News (BBC). 11 May 2011.
  9. ↑ Ross, David (23 October 2012). "Highland MSPs quit SNP over Nato policy change". Herald Scotland (Newsquest). Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Post Office reacts to criticism on island mortgages". BBC News. 13 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Grant, Katie (11 September 2015). "Scottish MSP's plans to decriminalise sex work wins support across the country". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Scottish Parliament Fact sheet. Session 4 MSPs not standing in the 2016 Election" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  13. ↑ "Ex-SNP MSP to draw up Rise manifesto". BBC News. 18 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Freeman, Tom (6 January 2016). "RISE announces regional list candidates". Holyrood. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  15. ↑ Candlish, Jane (10 January 2015). "Highlands and islands MSP hands back MBE". Press and Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Bevington, Pete (8 January 2015). "Local MSP hands back her MBE". The Shetland News. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  17. ↑ "honorary awards: honorary fellowships: 2006 honorary fellowships". University of the Highlands and Islands. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  18. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (13 December 2014). "Trad Music Awards: Martyn Bennett Story victorious". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  19. ↑ "Alumni: Jean Urquhart". Newbattle Abbey College. Retrieved 10 January 2015.

External links

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