Elizabeth Shields

Elizabeth Lois Shields is a British former politician.

Biography

Shields studied at the University of York and became a teacher and lecturer. She served as a councillor on Ryedale District Council from 1980 to 2019 for Norton.
Shields contested Howden in 1979 and Ryedale in 1983. Following the death of Ryedale's Conservative MP John Spence in 1986, Shields achieved victory in the 1986 [Ryedale by-election|Ryedale by-election of 1986], becoming the constituency's first Liberal MP, as part of the Alliance electoral pact between the Liberals and the Social Democrats. However, it was a short-lived success, as the Conservative John Greenway regained Ryedale at the 1987 general election. Shields stood for Ryedale again in 1992, this time for the Liberal Democrats, who were the successors to the Liberal Party. The Conservatives, however, increased their majority.
After previously serving as the Group Leader of the Liberal Democrats on the District Council, Shields lost her seat to the Conservatives in the 2019 local elections. During 1989–1990 she held the office of Chairman of the District Council.