Sir Kenneth Darlingston Collins (born 12 August 1939) is a Scottish former politician who was
Member of the European Parliament
A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...
and Chairman of the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA; ) is Scotland's Environmental regulation, environmental regulator and national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority.Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland and educated at the former
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a Boarding school, boarding and day school in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1588 as a boy's school and was open for nearly four centuries. In the late 19th century, ...
. He later studied at the
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...
and
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde () is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal charter in 1964 as the first techn ...
On leaving university, Collins worked as a local authority planning officer and lectured at the
Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; ) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, and design. These are all awa ...
and
Paisley College of Technology
The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. Th ...
subsequently being elected a Member of East Kilbride Town and District Council (1973–79) and of Lanark County Council (1973–75). From 1976 to 1979, Collins was also a member of the East Kilbride Development Corporation and, from 1974 to 1976, Chairman of North East Glasgow Children's Panel.
Later career
In 1979, Collins was elected an MEP, serving as deputy leader of the U.K. Labour Group at the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
from 1979 to 1984 and as chairman of the European Parliament's Environment Committee, 1979–84; vice-chairman from 1984 to 1987; and again as chairman from 1989 to 1999. Collins was also Socialist spokesman on environment, public health and consumer protection at the European Parliament from 1984 to 1989.
In 1999, Collins was appointed chairman of the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA; ) is Scotland's Environmental regulation, environmental regulator and national flood forecasting, flood warning and strategic flood risk management authority.Scottish Government – news release – 22 September 2003, appointment and biography, Sir Ken Collins Retrieved 28 October 2010
Appointments, awards and honours
Collins is a Fellow of the
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland, founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...
and
The Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
; an Hon. Fellow of the
Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) is an independent professional body and a registered charity in the United Kingdom that works internationally to advance the science and practice of water resource managemen ...
and of the
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management
The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) is a professional body for the waste management industry, representing several individuals across the United Kingdom, Ireland and overseas. Based in Northampton, it has ten regional centres th ...
; and a Fellow of the
Industry and Parliament Trust
The Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) is a charity that works to promote the mutual understanding of Parliament and business. It works within the Parliament of the United Kingdom and organisations from all sectors of industry. It is non-partisan, ...
.
He is also a board member of the
Institute for European Environmental Policy Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) is an independent, not-for-profit policy studies institute and green think tank which analyses and develops environmental policy in Europe and beyond. The institute is based in Brussels with a bra ...
, London, and of Energy Action Scotland; a former member of the British Waterways Scotland Group; a Trustee of The Green Foundation; board member of the Central Scotland Forest Trust (2001–04, and chairman 1998–2001); a former board member, Forward Scotland; a former chairman (1999–2002) of Tak Tent Cancer Support; and member of the management board,
European Environment Agency
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment.
Definition
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides ...
.
An ambassador for the National Asthma Campaign, Collins has also served as honorary vice-president of the National Society for Clean Air; as vice-president of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland and as honorary president of the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers.
Collins was invested with knighthood in 2003 for services to environmental protection and awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor from the
University of Paisley
The University of the West of Scotland (), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Blantyre, Dumfries and Ayr, as well as a campus in London, England. Th ...