Julie Ann Hilling (born 29 April 1955) is a British
Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for
Bolton West from
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
until
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
.
Background
Hilling was born in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and lived there until the age of 9 when her family moved to
Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is northwe ...
. She attended
The Cedars School
The Cedars School is an 11–18 boys, Roman Catholic, private school and sixth form. It is located in the Upper Norwood area of the London Borough of Croydon in England. The current site is the former location of Virgo Fidelis Convent Senior S ...
before studying
Chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
at the
University of Nottingham
, mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom
, established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status
, type = Public
, chancellor ...
and then attaining a Diploma in Youth and Community Work at
Manchester Polytechnic
Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...
. She has lived in
Atherton, which became part of the Bolton West constituency at the
2010 General Election, for 24 years.
Early career
Hilling has worked as a Youth Worker in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...
,
St Helens and
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...
, the latter for 18 years. She became President of the
Community and Youth Workers' Union in 1991, a post she held until 1999. Ms Hilling was a North West Learning Organiser for the
NASUWT
The NASUWT is a TUC-affiliated trade union representing teachers, including headteachers, throughout the United Kingdom.
The early years 1919–1976; breakaway and the formation of a new union
The origins of the NASUWT can be traced back to ...
2004–2006 and, before entering politics, worked as a Senior Regional Organiser for the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA).
Political career
Hilling was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bolton West in May 2010 with a majority of just 92 votes (0.19%), in a seat the Conservatives had targeted since the previous incumbent
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly (born 9 May 1968) is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010. Previously, she served as the Secretary of State for Transport, ...
had become embroiled in the expenses scandal.
She was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Yvette Cooper in her role as Shadow Women's and Equalities Minister in October 2010, the same month that she became a member of the Transport Select Committee. Hilling was appointed chair of the all-party Rail in the North group of MPs. Julie also served on the Standards and Privileges Select Committee
and is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Rail, Youth Affairs, Children, Community & Voluntary Sector and Save The Pub. Hilling was promoted to join the Whips office in June 2012.
Hilling launched a campaign to promote Emergency Life Skills (ELS) and pressed the Government to introduce it into the national curriculum. She linked up with Bolton Wanderers Community Trust, North West Ambulance Service as well as the British Heat Foundation to push for every school leaver in Bolton West to become trained in CPR and ELS. Throughout 2013, Hilling actively campaigned on dangerous dogs, following the death of 14-year-old constituent Jade Lomas-Anderson, in Atherton. She joined other MPs in a nationwide campaign to present a petition alongside Jade's parents to 10 Downing Street, before presenting it in the House of Commons. She also sought to make amendments to the recent Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill to include preventative measures such as Dog Control Notices and to control the number of dogs in a household.
In her Bolton West Constituency, Hilling lead campaigned against the Bedroom Tax and for lower Energy Bills.
Hilling lost her seat at the 2015 election by 801 votes, and was selected to contest the seat again at the
snap 2017 general election. She lost again, with the incumbent Conservative,
Chris Green, increasing his majority to 936. Hilling has been chosen to contest Bolton West for Labour at the
2019 election.
Hilling lost the seat for a third time in 2019, when
Chris Green increased his majority by almost 8,000 votes.
References
External links
Julie Hilling MP''official constituency website''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilling, Julie
Living people
1955 births
UK MPs 2010–2015
Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Alumni of the University of Nottingham
People from Atherton, Greater Manchester
Politicians from Oxford
Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
People from Leighton Buzzard
Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University
21st-century British women politicians
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Bolton West
21st-century English women
21st-century English people