Val Shawcross

Valerie Shawcross (born 1958) is a former Labour and Co-operative councillor and London Assembly member.

Born in the Middleton area of Lancashire she was brought up in Rochdale. After studying at the University of Liverpool, Shawcross moved to Croydon in 1986 and took up employment with the Inner London Education Authority and then with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

In 1994 she was elected to Croydon London Borough Council as a councillor for New Addington ward. In 1997 she became leader of Croydon Council. She held the seat until 2000.

In that year she was elected to the new London Assembly as constituency member for Lambeth and Southwark. She held the seat until she stood down at the 2016 elections, and was chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority from 200-2008 and then Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee.

She was Labour Party candidate at the 2010 General Election at Bermondsey and Old Southwark, but failed to dislodge Simon Hughes of the Liberal Democrats. She expressed an interest in contesting the Croydon North by-election in 2012, but was not selected.