Rt Hon Andrew Smith MP
Suite A, 21 Templars Square
Cowley
Oxford, OX4 2UZ
Member of Parliament for Oxford East
Website: http://www.andrewsmithmp.org.uk
Andrew Smith was born in Wokingham, Berkshire in 1951 and grew up in Burghfield, Berkshire. Before his election to Parliament in 1987, Andrew worked for the Oxford & Swindon Co-op as Member Relations Officer, and for the Open University as a tutor. Andrew served as a Councillor on Oxford City Council from 1976 to 1987. He chaired the Planning, Recreation and Race Relations Committees. Andrew Smith was selected to fight Oxford East for the 1983 General Election. He narrowly lost a tight marginal battle against Steve Norris, only to win an equally tight battle in 1987. He was re-elected in 1992, 1997 and 2001.
In Opposition, Andrew was Shadow Higher Education Minister (1989-92), Shadow Treasury Minister (1992-94), Shadow Chief Secretary (1994-96) and Shadow Transport Secretary (1996-97). In Government from 1997, he started as Minister of State for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities.
In 1999 he was promoted to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in charge of public spending and service performance. Andrew retained this position after the general election in June 2001. During his two and a half years as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew assisted the Chancellor in constructing three Budgets. Andrew’s roles at the Treasury included overseeing public expenditure planning and control, ensuring value for money in the public services, public/private initiatives, procurement policy, public sector pay and welfare reform.
In May 2002, Andrew was appointed the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 replacing the old Department for Social Security. It is one of the Government’s bigger departments. Agencies of the Secretary of State include the Appeals Service, Job Centre Plus, The Pensions Service and the Child Support Agency.
In September 2004, Andrew resigned as Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, in order to devote more time to his responsibilities in the constituency and to spend more time with his family.
Andrew is President of Oxford Blackbirds Boys Football Club, President of Pathway Sheltered Workshop, a Patron of the Radcliffe Medical Foundation and Patron of the Oxford Reserve Forces and Cadets. Andrew lives with his wife Val on the Blackbird Leys estate which he represented as a Councillor. Val is a current Labour Councillor in Blackbird Leys and has served as Oxford’s Lord Mayor.
