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Peter Smith, Baron Smith of Leigh

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The Lord Smith of Leigh
Executive Leader of Wigan Council
In office
1991 – 10 May 2018
Succeeded byDavid Molyneux
Councillor for Leigh West
on Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
In office
1978–2021
Personal details
Born
Peter Richard Charles Smith

(1945-07-24)24 July 1945
Lowton, Lancashire, England, U.K.
Died2 August 2021(2021-08-02) (aged 76)
Political partyLabour
Alma materLSE

Peter Richard Charles Smith, Baron Smith of Leigh (24 July 1945 – 2 August 2021) was a British Labour local politician and life peer.

Career

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Peter Smith was educated at Bolton School before going up to LSE where he graduated in economics. Whilst serving as Leader of Wigan Council and undertaking his duties at the House of Lords, he also completed an MSc in Urban Studies at the University of Salford. [1]

Smith had been a member of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council since 1978 and was chairman of its finance committee from 1982 to 1991; from 1991 to 2018, he served as Leader of the Council.[2] Created a Life Peer on 5 August 1999 as Baron Smith of Leigh, of Wigan in the County of Greater Manchester,[3] since 2005 he has been treasurer of the Rugby League Group and, since 2006, vice-chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party's Departmental Committee for Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He was the chairman of Local Government Leadership, a body seeking to develop leadership skills in local government.[4]

He was chair of The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) from 2000 to 2021. He chaired the successor Greater Manchester Combined Authority from its creation in 2011 until the appointment of the interim Mayor in 2015.[5]

Personal life

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Lord Smith was married to Joy Smith (née Booth) with one daughter, the artist Anna F C Smith.[6]

On 3 August 2021, it was announced that he had died at the age of 76.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ www.boltonschool.org
  2. ^ "Lord Smith of Leigh". UK Parliament. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  3. ^ "No. 55577". The London Gazette. 10 August 1999. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Lord Smith of Leigh". Government Accountability and the Civil Service. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Parliamentary career for Lord Smith of Leigh - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  6. ^ www.saatchiart.com
  7. ^ Mulligan, Simon (3 August 2021). "Tributes paid to former council leader Lord Peter Smith who has died". Leigh Journal.
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