Doris Ansari

Doris Martyna Ansari OBE JP (née Ashurst; born 18 May 1941)[1] is a former Liberal Democrat politician from Cornwall and Chairman of Cornwall County Council from 2005 to 2009.[2][3] She was then opposition leader on Cornwall Council from 2009 until she stood down in 2011.[4]

Early life

As Doris Ashurst, Ansari was born in Ince-in-Makerfield, Lancashire, on 18 May 1941, the daughter of John Ashurst and his wife Maggie Birch. In 1960, she married Asadullah Ansari in Farnworth. By 1962, they were living in Redruth, Cornwall, where their three children were born in the 1960s.[1][5]

British politics

Cornish politics

Ansari was first elected to Truro City Council in 1971,[6] to Carrick District Council when it was formed in 1973, standing as a Liberal,[7] and to Cornwall County Council in 1980.[6] In 1987, while she was chair of Cornwall County Council's planning and employment committee, she was shortlisted to be the Liberal candidate at the Truro by-election after the death of incumbent Liberal MP David Penhaligon;[8] Matthew Taylor was eventually selected as the candidate and won the by-election.[9]

She was the County Council's vice-chair from 1995 to 1997 and its chair from 2005 until its abolition in 2009.[3] Ansari also held the post of Portfolio Holder for Education for a period.[10][11] She was criticised for not including Cornish issues in the education curriculum, which she said would be "dangerous" and "put Cornwall on the road to the Balkans".[12] Ansari was awarded an OBE in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to the community in Cornwall.[13][14]

After the establishment of the unitary Cornwall Council, Ansari was elected by the Truro Tregolls division and became opposition leader and leader of the Liberal Democrats on the council from 2009 to 2011.[4][15]

In April 2011, she announced she would be standing down as Liberal Democrat leader having been in local government for 40 years.[4][16] She did not contest the 2013 election, being succeeded by Loic Rich.[17] By the time of her retirement, Ansari was one of the longest serving members of the council.[18]

Regional and national politics

Ansari was a member on several regional and national bodies throughout her career including the South West Regional Arts Council,[19] the Milk and Dairies Tribunal,[20] and the South West Rural Development Agency.[21][22]

European politics

In 2003 and 2004, Ansari chaired the Committee on Social Cohesion of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and was a rapporteur for Congress reports.[23][24] She was also a British representative to the Chamber of Regions at its 11th session in 2004.[25]

Ansari was made a UK delegate to the European Committee of the Regions from 2008 to fill seats left vacant during the term of office which ended in 2010.[26] She was renominated by the Local Government Association for the 2010–2015 term, but served only until 2013.[27][28] She was Vice-President of the ALDE Group on the Committee between 2012 and 2013.[29][30]

Electoral history

2009 Cornwall Council election
2009 election: Truro Tregolls[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Doris Ansari 531 41.2
Conservative Jacqui Butler 348 27.0
Mebyon Kernow Loic Rich 293 22.7
Green Lindsay Southcombe 108 8.4
Majority 183 14.2
Majority 10 0.8
Turnout 1290 33.2
Liberal Democrats win (new seat)

1979 Carrick District Council election
1979 election: Moresk[32]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Smitherman Unopposed
Liberal D. Ansari Unopposed
Majority N/A
Total votes N/A
Turnout N/A
Conservative win (new seat)
Liberal win (new seat)

References
  1. "Doris Ashurst" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007, Ince 8c 243; "Asadullah Ansari" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Farnworth 10c 386, Spouse: Doris Ashurst
  2. "Head of education retires". Falmouth Packet. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  3. "Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the County Council". Cornwall County Council. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  4. "MPS PAY TRIBUTE TO LOCAL CHAMPION DORIS ANSARI". Truro and Falmouth Liberal Democrats. 9 May 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  5. "Cornwall International Male Choral Festival Ltd Company number 04509936 Filing history : 18 April 2006 New director appointed, company-information.service.gov.uk, accessed 6 June 2022
  6. Graham Smith (25 October 2010). "Doris Ansari banned from press conference". BBC Radio Devon. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  7. Colin Rallings; Michael Thrasher. "Carrick District Council Election Results 1973–2007" (PDF). Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  8. Dennis Johnson (7 February 1987). "Liberals' Truro list". The Guardian. p. 3. ProQuest 186724579. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  9. Boothroyd, David. "Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. Jon Mills (2014). "The Decline and Revival of the Cornish Language" (PDF). Kent Academic Repository. University of Kent. p. 16. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  11. Rhisiart Tal-e-bot (Spring–Summer 2003). "Cornish Pupils Refused Right to Record their 'Cornish ethnicity'" (PDF). Carn. Celtic League (121): 17. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. Jon Mills (2010). "Genocide and Ethnocide: The Suppression of the Cornish Language". In Partridge, John (ed.). Interfaces in Language (PDF). Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 9781443823999. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  13. "NEW YEAR HONOURS". The Independent. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  14. "O.B.E." (PDF). The London Gazette. 31 December 1999. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  15. Stephen Ivall (15 June 2009). "Cornwall council Lib-Dem leader elected". The Falmouth Packet. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  16. "Cornwall Council opposition leader to step down". BBC. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  17. "Election results for Truro Tregolls Cornwall Council elections – Thursday, 2nd May, 2013". Cornwall Council. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  18. Steven Morris (22 July 2011). "Cornwall moves toward its own bank holiday". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  19. "Annual Review 2005" (PDF). Arts Council England. p. 171. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  20. "AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD Public Bodies". Hansard. 16 February 1994. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  21. "Regional Development Agencies: Membership". Hansard. 23 March 1999. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  22. "Learning and Skills Council Local Strategic Plan 2002–05 Somerset" (PDF). Institute of Education. University College London. March 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  23. "DRAFT AGENDA OF THE SPRING SESSION OF THE CHAMBER OF REGIONS – CPR/SP (9) OJ 1 prov". Council of Europe. 20 March 2003. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  24. "DRAFT AGENDA – CPR/SA (11) OJ 1 prov (last version: 26/10/04)". Council of Europe. 4 November 2004. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  25. Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (6 January 2005). Official Report of Debates: 11th Session, 25–27 May 2004. Council of Europe. ISBN 9789287156068. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  26. "Council Decision of 7 April 2008 appointing seven UK members and seven UK alternate members to the Committee of the Regions (2008/310/EC)" (PDF). Legislation.gov.uk. 7 April 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  27. "Appointments Independent of the Board Process" (PDF). Local Government Association. 18 October 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  28. "Committee of the Regions welcomes new UK members". European Committee of the Regions. 26 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  29. "What have the Brits ever done for us?!". Renew Europe. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  30. "Movers & Shakers". Politico Europe. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  31. "Election results for Truro Tregolls Cornwall Council elections - Thursday, 4th June, 2009". Cornwall Council. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  32. "Carrick District Council Election Results 1973-2007" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
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