Pauline Latham was elected as the Member of
Parliament for Mid Derbyshire in 2010. She has lived in Derbyshire since
1970, and has been involved in local politics in the area since 1987.
For many years, Pauline was a dedicated and popular councillor,
representing Oakwood on Derbyshire County Council, then Derby City
Council and later became the Mayor of Derby. In 2006, she was selected
as the candidate for the new constituency of Mid-Derbyshire.
Pauline has a keen interest in education issues, as she was a
governor at Ecclesbourne School for 12 years. She has been an
enthusiastic advocate for more support for diabetic children in schools,
and was delighted when the Children and Families Act obligated schools
to help them manage their condition.
Pauline has also championed a number of health causes in her time as
an MP. Last year, she was contacted by constituents whose daughter was a
quadruple amputee as a result of having contracted Meningitis B. She
began a campaign to establish a nationwide vaccination programme against
the disease, which was subsequently approved by the Department of
Health. Additionally, Pauline has worked tirelessly to make new and
life-improving drugs available to melanoma patients. She has also run a
campaign to get the drug Avastin on the approved treatment list for
bowel cancer, and lobbied the East Midlands Cancer Drugs Fund to change
the way in which they apportion funding for certain types of cancer
drugs.
Since starting Project Uganda at Ecclesbourne School, Pauline has had
a real interest in international development, and now sits on the
Select Committee. She is particularly committed to the cause of women in
less developed countries, and spoke in debates about the horrific
conditions they face in refugee camps, and the need to promote women as
community leaders through international aid.
Despite working hard in Westminster, Pauline’s foremost priority is
her constituency. She has spoken out against the proposed developments
in Belper, Borrrowash and Allestree and brought pressure to bear on the
Highways Agency over their handling of the improvements to the Little
Eaton and Markeaton roundabouts. Additionally, Pauline mounted a
successful campaign to protect the Pattenmaker’s Arms in Duffield from
rent increases.
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