Greg Clark

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The Right Honourable
Greg Clark
MP
File:Greg Clark at the CBI Climate Change Summit 2008 cropped.jpg
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Assumed office
11 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Eric Pickles
Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities
In office
15 July 2014 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by David Willetts
Succeeded by Jo Johnson (Universities and Science)
Minister of State for Cities and Constitution
In office
7 October 2013 – 11 May 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Chloe Smith (Undersecretary of State for Political and Constitutional Reform)
Succeeded by TBD
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In office
4 September 2012 – 7 October 2013
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Mark Hoban
Succeeded by Sajid Javid
Minister of State for Decentralisation
In office
13 May 2010 – 4 September 2012
Prime Minister David Cameron
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Nicholas Boles
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
In office
6 October 2008 – 11 May 2010
Leader David Cameron
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Ed Miliband
Member of Parliament
for Tunbridge Wells
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded by Archie Norman
Majority 22,874 (44.5%)
Personal details
Born (1967-08-28) 28 August 1967 (age 56)
Middlesbrough, England
Political party Social Democratic Party (Before 1988)
Conservative (1988–present)
Spouse(s) Helen Clark
Alma mater Magdalene College, Cambridge
London School of Economics
Website Official website

Gregory David Clark[1] (born 28 August 1967) is the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government[2] and a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tunbridge Wells since 2005. Between 15 July 2014 and 11 May 2015, he held the post of Minister for Universities, Science and Cities.[3]

Clark was previously Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the minister responsible for cities policy, and Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government. He is described as an "economically liberal Conservative with a social conscience".[4]

Early life

Greg Clark was born in Middlesbrough and attended the local South Bank St Peter's Roman Catholic School. His father and grandfather were milkmen running the family business, John Clark and Sons,[5] while his mother worked at Sainsbury's.[6]

Clark read Economics at Magdalene College, Cambridge. He joined the Social Democratic Party, whilst at Cambridge, and was an executive member of its student wing, Social Democrat Youth and Students (SDYS). He then studied at the London School of Economics, where he was awarded his PhD in 1992 with a thesis entitled, The effectiveness of incentive payment systems : an empirical test of individualism as a boundary condition.[7]

Career

Clark first worked as a business consultant before becoming special advisor to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Ian Lang, between 1996 and 1997. Subsequently, he was appointed the BBC's Controller, Commercial Policy and was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party from 2001 until his election to parliament in 2005. Between 2002 and 2005 he was also a councillor on Westminster City Council serving as Cabinet Member for Leisure and Lifelong Learning.

Member of Parliament

Clark was elected at the 2005 general election for the parliamentary constituency of Royal Tunbridge Wells after Archie Norman stood down as the MP. He was elected with a majority of 9,988 and made his maiden speech on 9 June 2005,[8] in which he spoke of the (then) forthcoming 400th anniversary of Dudley, Lord North's discovery of the Chalybeate spring and the foundation of Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town to which the royal prefix was added in 1909 by King Edward VII. He also noted with pride that Royal Tunbridge Wells had elected the country's first Jewish Member of Parliament.[9]

Shadow Cabinet

Clark was appointed to the front bench in a minor reshuffle in November 2006 by David Cameron, becoming Shadow Minister for Charities, Voluntary Bodies and Social Enterprise. Shortly after his appointment he made headlines by saying the Conservative party needed to pay less attention to the social thinking of Winston Churchill, and more to that of columnist on The Guardian, Polly Toynbee.[4]

In 2007, Clark signed an early-day motion calling for increased use of homeopathy and complementary medicine by the NHS[10] and campaigned to save a homeopathic hospital in West Kent.[11] In October 2008, Clark was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet, shadowing the new government position of Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Minister of State for Decentralisation

Clark was appointed a Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government from May 2010, with responsibility for overseeing decentralisation, a key policy of the Liberal-Conservative coalition. In this role he called for the Churches and other faith communities to send him their ideas for new social innovations for all,[12] and made a major speech on "turning government upside down" jointly to the think tanks Centre Forum and Policy Exchange. He was accused of hypocrisy, having staunchly opposed house-building while in opposition, while threatening to impose it as a government minister.[13]

However, since announcing the NPPF[clarification needed] he has been praised by heritage NGOs[clarification needed] and Simon Jenkins of the National Trust. His post as Minister for Cities also makes him a Minister at the Department of Business.

From July 2011, he was responsible for cities policy since July 2011 as Minister for Cities.[14] In this role he tried to promote the urban economies of the North, West and Midlands.[15][third-party source needed]

November 2015, in his capacity of Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Clark called in the decision making power in the appeal against the Lancashire County Council's decision regarding a shale gas fracking application made by Cuadrilla Resources. This is in direct conflict with his stated views on decentralisation.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury

In a cabinet reshuffle in September 2012, Clark was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury, while retaining the ministerial brief responsible for cities policy.[16]

Minister for Universities, Science and Cities

On 15 July 2014 Clark was appointed to the role of Minister for Universities, Science and Cities, replacing David Willetts who was generally praised for his service in the post.[3][17] The new portfolio combined the universities and science brief held by Willetts with the cities policy already handled by Clark.[18]

His appointment was met with concerns about securing future funding for universities[19] and questions over his public support for homoeopathic treatments.[17]

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Clark returned to the Department of Communities and Local Government as Secretary of State on 11 May 2015, appointed in David Cameron's first cabinet reshuffle following the 2015 general election.[20]

Personal life

He and his wife Helen have three children.[21] They live in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

He has been a long term supporter of West Kent YMCA[22] often providing his personal support[23] for vulnerable young men and women (for example struggling with CAMHS[24][25][26][27][28][29] or DWP/JCP/ATOS) and became the first Friend of West Kent YMCA in April 2013.[30][31][32][33]

References

  1. The London Gazette: no. 59418. p. 8743. 13 May 2010.
  2. GOV.uk – Ministers
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  7. LSE Library catalogue: http://librarysearch.lse.ac.uk/44LSE_VU1:44LSE_ALMA_DS21114481890002021
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  22. West Kent YMCA | www.WestKentYMCA.org.uk | charity 803519
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  31. Photos http://www.westkentymca.org.uk/get-involved/friends
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  33. Press release http://www.westkentymca.org.uk/documents/pr-26042013

External links

News articles
Video clips
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Tunbridge Wells

2005–present
Incumbent
Political offices
New office Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
2008–2010
Succeeded by
Ed Miliband
Minister of State for Decentralisation
2010–2012
Succeeded by
Nicholas Boles
Preceded by Financial Secretary to the Treasury
2012–2013
Succeeded by
Sajid Javid
Preceded by as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Political and Constitutional Reform Minister of State for Cities and Constitution
2013–2015
Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities
2014–2015
Succeeded by
Jo Johnson
as Minister of State for Universities and Science
Preceded by Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
2015–present
Incumbent