Joan Walley
Joan Lorraine Walley is a British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent North from the 1987 [United Kingdom general election|1987 general election] until 2015.
Early life
She attended Biddulph Grammar School in Biddulph, north Staffordshire, where she studied German under headteacher Edward Kelly. At the University of Hull, she gained a BA in Social Administration. From the University College of Wales, Swansea, she gained a Diploma in Community Work Development. From 1970 to 1973, she worked on an Alcoholics Recovery Project. From 1974 to 1978, she was a Local Government Officer for Swansea City Council. She worked for Wandsworth Council from 1978 to 1979. From 1979 to 1982, she was a Development Officer for NACRO.Parliamentary career
Following the deselection of her predecessor John Forrester, she stood as the Labour Party candidate for Stoke-on-Trent North and became the constituency's Member of Parliament at the 1987 general election. Walley had previously been a Lambeth councillor.She was elected by the House to be the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee on 9 June 2010.
In November 2013 she announced her intention to stand down at the next general election in 2015. Walley became a member of the Electoral Commission in 2018.