Alan Whitehead
Encyclopedia
Alan Patrick Vincent Whitehead (born 15 September 1950) is a British
Labour Party
politician
who has been the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Southampton Test since 1997
.
, was President of Southampton University Students' Union and holds a PhD in Political Science. From 1979-82 he was Director of OUTSET, then from 1983-92 he worked for BIIT, being Director, both being charities. Before becoming an MP, Dr Whitehead was the Leader of Southampton City Council from 1984 to 1992 and a Professor of Public Policy at Southampton Institute
.
His name is mentioned by lead singer of Led Zeppelin
in a bootleg recording from Southampton University on 22 January 1973. He asks the crowd "who's that geezer whose name is on the bog wall?" to which the crowd reply "Alan Whitehead". The song "Whole Lotta Love" at that performance is dedicated to him.
Current committee memberships:
Chair of PRASEG, the Associate Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group
Co-Chair, Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group
Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland
Member, Associate Parliamentary Ports and Merchant Navy Group
Member, Group on Charitable Giving
Member, Estonia All-Party Parliamentary Group
Dr Whitehead voted against the Iraq war on the basis of the mission not receiving endorsement from the UN http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/articles/articles_2003/004.htm. He lobbied for changes to the Government's Education White Paper. He does not support building new nuclear power stations, believing that nuclear is uneconomic. He voted in favour of ID cards and for a ban on fox hunting.
sources, particularly microgeneration
. He criticised the results of the Energy Review http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2469.htm and was the co-author of EDM 2204 http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2453.htm which states ‘the case for nuclear has not yet been made’ and urges the government to ‘recognise the enormous potential for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by energy efficiency and conservation, greater use of combined heat and power, and rapid investment in the full range of renewable technologies, including microgeneration.’
As leader of Southampton City Council in 1986, Dr Whitehead proposed that the city council take measures to become a ‘self sustaining city’ with regard to energy generation http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2455.htm. One such measure was the conversion of Southampton Civic Centre to being heated by local reservoirs of geothermal energy
. The scheme recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. In a recent survey of carbon emissions in major UK cities conducted by British Gas, Southampton was ranked as being one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in Britain http://www.britishgasnews.co.uk/index.asp?PageID=16&Year=2006&NewsID=686.
Dr Whitehead sits as a non-executive director of a non-profit making company called SSEL Ltd, formed to deliver a Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
project, which was partially funded by the Government as part of the regeneration of outer Shirley http://www.southampton.gov.uk/environment/energy/default.asp. The CHP system recycles the by-product 'low grade heat' made during the electricity generation process and uses the by-product to heat water which is piped to local homes. This scheme has been criticised by the current Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Environment & Transport, Matthew Dean, for being unviable and the Council's involvement in the project has now ended.
Dr Whitehead’s Private Members Bill Management of Energy in Buildings, was ‘talked out’ by Conservative backbenchers in 2005, but many of the Bill’s most important aspects were incorporated into the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006
, sponsored by Mark Lazarowicz
MP. The Act received royal assent in 2006 http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2464.htm.
Dr Whitehead’s amendments to the bill included:
to end the current pricing practice utilised by several energy companies which sees customers who pay for their electricity or gas via pre-pay meters pay more for the same amount of energy than customers who pay via direct debit.http://www.housing.org.uk/default.aspx?TabID=485 Dr Whitehead argues:
Source: http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/2007/october09.html
, John Denham and Martin Salter
, Dr Whitehead co-wrote the so-called alternative education white paper 'Shaping the Education Bill- Reaching for Consensus,' which criticised the weakening of the role of Local Education Authorities in the provision of education services and called for the schools admissions code to be made mandatory. He voted for the Bill when Alan Johnson
, the new Education Secretary, accepted many of the alternative white paper’s proposals.
Whitehead's rebellion against a government 3-line whip on Trident renewal is not surprising, given that archived documents have recently emerged showing that in 1982-83 Whitehead paid a subscription to Southampton CND.
Alan Whitehead was quoted by the Mail as comparing Gordon Brown
to the former US President William Taft, citing that both had lacked the “phwoarr” factor which is now seen as necessary to survive in today's political climate. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1021702/Brown-It-8217-s---suicide-pact.html.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who has been the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Southampton Test since 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
.
Early life
He went to Isleworth Grammar School and then studied Politics and Philosophy at the University of SouthamptonUniversity of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, was President of Southampton University Students' Union and holds a PhD in Political Science. From 1979-82 he was Director of OUTSET, then from 1983-92 he worked for BIIT, being Director, both being charities. Before becoming an MP, Dr Whitehead was the Leader of Southampton City Council from 1984 to 1992 and a Professor of Public Policy at Southampton Institute
Southampton Solent University
Southampton Solent University is a university of 17,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre....
.
His name is mentioned by lead singer of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
in a bootleg recording from Southampton University on 22 January 1973. He asks the crowd "who's that geezer whose name is on the bog wall?" to which the crowd reply "Alan Whitehead". The song "Whole Lotta Love" at that performance is dedicated to him.
Personal life
Whitehead divorced from local Southampton City Councillor Wyn Jeffery, and shortly afterwards remarried to Sophie Wronska in 1979, and they have a son and daughter. He is a member of the Saints Trust and plays in the UK parliamentary football team. After looking at the possibility of being the first MP to install a wind turbine installed on his constituency home roof in Highfield, Southampton, Whitehead installed a number of solar panels that were integrated into the roof. During the summer months, Whitehead says he sells electricity from this source back to the national grid.Career in Parliament
- 1997-1999: Member of the Select Committee on Environment Transport and the Regions
- 1999: Parliamentary Private Secretary to Baroness Blackstone, Minister for Higher and Post 16 Education
- June 2001 - May 2002: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (responsible for local government, the regions and the Fire Service)
Current committee memberships:
- Member of the Justice CommitteeJustice CommitteeThe Justice Select Committee of the United Kingdom is a select committee of the House of Commons which scrutinizes the policy, administration, and spending of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, the committee examines the work of the Law Officers of the Crown, the Serious Fraud Office , and the...
- Member of the Standards and Privileges Select CommitteeCommittee on Standards and PrivilegesThe Standards and Privileges Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons was established in 1995 to replace the earlier Committee of Privileges...
. - Member of the Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/2008/may19.html
Chair of PRASEG, the Associate Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group
Co-Chair, Associate Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group
Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland
Member, Associate Parliamentary Ports and Merchant Navy Group
Member, Group on Charitable Giving
Member, Estonia All-Party Parliamentary Group
Dr Whitehead voted against the Iraq war on the basis of the mission not receiving endorsement from the UN http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/articles/articles_2003/004.htm. He lobbied for changes to the Government's Education White Paper. He does not support building new nuclear power stations, believing that nuclear is uneconomic. He voted in favour of ID cards and for a ban on fox hunting.
Renewable energy politics
Dr Whitehead has lobbied for the increased use of sustainable energySustainable energy
Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
sources, particularly microgeneration
Microgeneration
Microgeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
. He criticised the results of the Energy Review http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2469.htm and was the co-author of EDM 2204 http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2453.htm which states ‘the case for nuclear has not yet been made’ and urges the government to ‘recognise the enormous potential for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by energy efficiency and conservation, greater use of combined heat and power, and rapid investment in the full range of renewable technologies, including microgeneration.’
As leader of Southampton City Council in 1986, Dr Whitehead proposed that the city council take measures to become a ‘self sustaining city’ with regard to energy generation http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2455.htm. One such measure was the conversion of Southampton Civic Centre to being heated by local reservoirs of geothermal energy
Geothermal power
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of minerals...
. The scheme recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. In a recent survey of carbon emissions in major UK cities conducted by British Gas, Southampton was ranked as being one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in Britain http://www.britishgasnews.co.uk/index.asp?PageID=16&Year=2006&NewsID=686.
Dr Whitehead sits as a non-executive director of a non-profit making company called SSEL Ltd, formed to deliver a Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Combined Heat and Power
Combined Heat and Power may refer to:* Cogeneration* Combined Heat and Power Solar...
project, which was partially funded by the Government as part of the regeneration of outer Shirley http://www.southampton.gov.uk/environment/energy/default.asp. The CHP system recycles the by-product 'low grade heat' made during the electricity generation process and uses the by-product to heat water which is piped to local homes. This scheme has been criticised by the current Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Environment & Transport, Matthew Dean, for being unviable and the Council's involvement in the project has now ended.
Dr Whitehead’s Private Members Bill Management of Energy in Buildings, was ‘talked out’ by Conservative backbenchers in 2005, but many of the Bill’s most important aspects were incorporated into the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006
Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006
The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which aims to boost the number of heat and electricity microgeneration installations in the United Kingdom, so helping to cut carbon emissions and reduce fuel poverty.The Act was piloted through...
, sponsored by Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz
Mark Lazarowicz, is a British Labour Co-operative politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith since 2001...
MP. The Act received royal assent in 2006 http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/pr2464.htm.
Dr Whitehead’s amendments to the bill included:
- requiring better compliance of building regulations for energy efficiencyEnergy efficiency in British housingDomestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK carbon dioxide emissions targeted by the Government for 2010...
- the removal of planning permissionPlanning permissionPlanning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
for microgenerationMicrogenerationMicrogeneration is the small-scale generation of heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs, as alternatives or supplements to traditional centralized grid-connected power...
in homes - new regulations to ensure a minimum energy standard in new homes including microgeneration
Houses in multiple occupancy
Due to the high concentration of houses in multiple occupation in Southampton, in 2007 Whitehead proposed changing planning regulations which would mean a landlord would be required to apply for planning permission if they wanted to convert a family home into an HMO housing more than 4 people.http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/2007/may22.html. The proposal is being considered as part of the government's current review of the private housing sector, which will report in October 2008.http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/742257Pre-pay meters
Alan Whitehead is currently campaigning with the National Housing FederationNational Housing Federation
The National Housing Federation is the umbrella organisation for social housing providers in the UK.-Function:The National Housing Federation is the voice of affordable housing in England....
to end the current pricing practice utilised by several energy companies which sees customers who pay for their electricity or gas via pre-pay meters pay more for the same amount of energy than customers who pay via direct debit.http://www.housing.org.uk/default.aspx?TabID=485 Dr Whitehead argues:
“Ten per cent. of pre-pay electricity customers are in fuel povertyFuel povertyA household is said to be in fuel poverty when they cannot afford to keep adequately warm at reasonable cost, given it's income. The term is mainly used in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, although the concept also applies everywhere in the world where poverty may be present.As the term fuel...
compared with only 3.5 per cent. of direct debit customers. In short, those who need affordable energy most pay far more for it than those who do not. What is worse, because of the nature of pre-payment, most of them are not aware of that fact.”
| Supplier | Average Standard Credit | Average Pre-pay meter | Average difference SC to PPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Npower | £911 | £1,021 | +£110 |
| Powergen | £916 | £1,001 | +£85 |
| British Gas | £914 | £994 | +£80 |
| SSE | £872 | £935 | +£63 |
| EDF | £908 | £934 | +£26 |
| Scottish Power | £961 | £931 | - £30 |
Source: http://www.alan-whitehead.org.uk/pr/2007/october09.html
Education Bill 2006
Along with fellow Labour MPs Estelle MorrisEstelle Morris
Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, PC was a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005, and served briefly in the Cabinet as Education Secretary.-Early life:...
, John Denham and Martin Salter
Martin Salter
Martin John Salter is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Reading West from 1997 to 2010.-Early life:...
, Dr Whitehead co-wrote the so-called alternative education white paper 'Shaping the Education Bill- Reaching for Consensus,' which criticised the weakening of the role of Local Education Authorities in the provision of education services and called for the schools admissions code to be made mandatory. He voted for the Bill when Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
, the new Education Secretary, accepted many of the alternative white paper’s proposals.
Rebellions
Dr Whitehead has rebelled against a government 3-line whip on the following issues:- The renewal of the UK Trident programmeUK Trident programmeThe UK Trident programme is the United Kingdom's Trident missile-based nuclear weapons programme. Under the programme, the Royal Navy operates 58 nuclear-armed Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and around 200 nuclear warheads on 4 Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines from...
- The invasion of Iraq
Whitehead's rebellion against a government 3-line whip on Trident renewal is not surprising, given that archived documents have recently emerged showing that in 1982-83 Whitehead paid a subscription to Southampton CND.
Alan Whitehead was quoted by the Mail as comparing Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
to the former US President William Taft, citing that both had lacked the “phwoarr” factor which is now seen as necessary to survive in today's political climate. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1021702/Brown-It-8217-s---suicide-pact.html.
World Cup 2006
In June 2006 the UK Parliamentary Football Team ran a charity match in Portugal against the Portuguese Parliament, which coincided with part of the world cup. The match and the trip was sponsored by McDonalds as part of their Football in the Community Programme. The UKPFC was criticised for accepting McDonalds sponsorship by the BMA.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3813601.stm. Alan Whitehead, who at the time played in goal for the UKPFC, fully declared the sponsorship in his register of members interests.http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/070326/memi28.htm He also pointed out the trip was part of a long-standing fundraising campaign between the UKPFC and McDonalds that raised over 20,000 euros for local charities.http://archive.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/2004/6/17/27831.htmlSee also
- Wessex Constitutional ConventionWessex Constitutional ConventionThe Wessex Constitutional Convention is an all-party pressure group, in the United Kingdom, devoted to pursuing a degree of self-government for Wessex...
- Energy policy of the United KingdomEnergy policy of the United KingdomThe current energy policy of the United Kingdom is set out in the Energy White Paper of May 2007 and Low Carbon Transition Plan of July 2009, building on previous work including the 2003 Energy White Paper and the Energy Review Report in 2006...
- Geothermal power in the United Kingdom
External links
- Alan Whitehead MP official constituency site
- PRASEG, the Associate Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group