Ronald Cyril Fearn, Baron Fearn, (6 February 1931 – 24 January 2022) was a British

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician. He was born and died in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Early life

Fearn was born in 1931 in

, the son of James (a master decorator) and Martha Ellen ( Hodge) Fearn. His birth was registered without his middle name in the Ormskirk registration district of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. Southport is now part of

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

. Educated at

King George V Grammar School, Southport King George V Sixth Form College (KGV) is a sixth form college in Southport, Merseyside, England. It provides A-level and BTEC education, and between 2009 and 2012 offered the International Baccalaureate Diploma. It was previously a grammar s ...

, Fearn was a banker by profession, becoming a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He worked as a banker with Williams Deacons Bank,

Williams & Glyn's Bank Williams & Glyn's Bank Limited was established in London in 1970, when the Royal Bank of Scotland merged its two subsidiaries in England and Wales, Williams Deacon's Bank Ltd. and Glyn, Mills & Co. In 1985, Williams & Glyn's was fully absorbed ...

, and later the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Political career

Fearn was the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and later Liberal Democrat MP for

from 1987 to 1992 and 1997 to 2001, after unsuccessfully contesting the seat at the four 1970s general elections. He was the Lib. Dem. spokesman on health and tourism (1988–89), on local government (1989–90), and on transport, housing and tourism (1990–92). In

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, he was a member of the Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport from 1997 to 2001. Fearn served from 1974 until 2016 as a Sefton Metropolitan Borough councillor, having been a member of its predecessor body,

Merseyside County Council Merseyside County Council (MCC) was, from 1974 to 1986, the upper-tier administrative body for Merseyside, a metropolitan county in North West England. MCC existed for a total of twelve years. It was established on 1 April 1974 by the Local ...

. He thus achieved over 50 years of continuous service, being first elected as a Liberal and then for its successor party, the Liberal Democrats. Fearn first contested the borough at the inaugural elections of 1973 as a candidate for the Southport ward of Craven-Sussex-Talbot, in which he topped the poll, receiving more votes than the two other Liberal candidates elected alongside him. In 1982, Fearn was elected as a Liberal-SDP candidate for the Norwood ward, again topping the poll. In 1990, he was elected for the Social and Liberal Democrats, and four years later, as a Liberal Democrat: the latter party had succeeded those he had previously represented. At every single Sefton election he contested, Fearn was top of the results, including those in which multiple candidates were elected. He received a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...

and joined the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

as Baron Fearn, of

in the County of

, in 2001. He retired from the House on 11 July 2018.

Honours

In the 1985 Birthday Honours, Fearn was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Personal life

In 1955, Fearn married Joyce Edna Dugan; they had a son, Martin, and a daughter. Martin became a mathematics teacher at Cowley International College, St. Helens. Outside of politics, Fearn listed his recreations as badminton,

amateur dramatics An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hist ...

and athletics. He lived in

. Fearn died in Southport on 24 January 2022, at the age of 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearn, Ronnie 1931 births 2022 deaths Councillors in Merseyside Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at King George V College UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1997–2001 Life peers created by Elizabeth II