Joan Walley

Joan Walley
Joan Walley
Member of the Electoral Commission; for the Labour Party
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 1 November 2018
Nominated by	Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by	Bridget Prentice
Chair of the Environmental Audit Select Committee
	In office; 10 June 2010 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Tim Yeo
Succeeded by	Huw Irranca-Davies
Member of Parliament ; for Stoke-on-Trent North
	In office; 11 June 1987 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	John Forrester
Succeeded by	Ruth Smeeth
Personal details
Born	Joan Lorraine Walley; 23 January 1949 (age 77); Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Party	Labour
Spouse	Jan Ostrowski (m. 1981)
Children	2
Education	Biddulph Grammar School
Alma mater	University of Hull (BA)

Joan Lorraine Walley (born 23 January 1949) is a British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent North from the 1987 general election until 2015.

Early life

She attended Biddulph Grammar School (now known as Woodhouse Middle School) in Biddulph, north Staffordshire, where she studied German under headteacher Edward Kelly.^[1] At the University of Hull, she gained a BA in Social Administration. From the University College of Wales, Swansea, she gained a Diploma in Community Work Development. From 1970 to 1973, she worked on an Alcoholics Recovery Project. From 1974 to 1978, she was a Local Government Officer for Swansea City Council. She worked for Wandsworth Council from 1978 to 1979. From 1979 to 1982, she was a Development Officer for NACRO.

Parliamentary career

Following the deselection of her predecessor John Forrester, she stood as the Labour Party candidate for Stoke-on-Trent North (the second female MP for the seat after Harriet Slater) and became the constituency's Member of Parliament (MP) at the 1987 general election.^[2] Walley had previously been a Lambeth councillor.^[3]

She was elected by the House to be the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee on 9 June 2010.^[4]

In November 2013 she announced her intention to stand down at the next general election in 2015.^[5] Walley became a member of the Electoral Commission in 2018.^[6]

Personal life

She married Jan Ostrowski in 1981; the couple have two sons; Daniel, born 1981, and Tom, born 1983. Walley is a supporter of Port Vale, the football club in her constituency.^[7]

References

↑ "Enrich your life with die deutsche Sprache". The Guardian. 22 August 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 August 2025.
↑ Earle, Robbie (31 December 2009). "Robbie Earle: Stoke and Vale among the successes of the 'Noughties'". The Sentinel. Retrieved 31 December 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑ Prince, Rosa (27 February 2015). "Why I'm standing down from Parliament: Joan Walley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
↑ Environmental Audit Committee – membership Accessed 27 December 2013
↑ "Stoke-on-Trent North Labour MP Joan Walley to stand down". BBC News. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
↑ Electoral Commission - Who We Are. "Joan Walley - Commissioner".
↑ Tideswell, Martin (4 April 2009). "Port Vale: Big names back Vale's 'bargain' season ticket". The Sentinel. Retrieved 4 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

External links

Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
Voting record at Public Whip
Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
Profile on OpenSanctions, an open database of sanctions and persons of interest
Profile at Public Accountability Initiatives LittleSis website

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Preceded by

John Forrester

Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North
1987–2015

Succeeded by

Ruth Smeeth

[1] "Enrich your life with die deutsche Sprache". The Guardian. 22 August 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 August 2025.

[2] Earle, Robbie (31 December 2009). "Robbie Earle: Stoke and Vale among the successes of the 'Noughties'". The Sentinel. Retrieved 31 December 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

[Prince-3] Prince, Rosa (27 February 2015). "Why I'm standing down from Parliament: Joan Walley, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2025.

[4] Environmental Audit Committee – membership Accessed 27 December 2013

[5] "Stoke-on-Trent North Labour MP Joan Walley to stand down". BBC News. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.

[6] Electoral Commission - Who We Are. "Joan Walley - Commissioner".

[7] Tideswell, Martin (4 April 2009). "Port Vale: Big names back Vale's 'bargain' season ticket". The Sentinel. Retrieved 4 April 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)

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