Michael Meadowcroft
| Michael Meadowcroft | |
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| 1st Leader of refounded Liberal Party | |
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In office 13 March 1989 – 2002 |
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| Preceded by | party refounded |
| Succeeded by | Mike Oborski |
| Member of Parliament for Leeds West |
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In office 9 June 1983 – 11 June 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Dean |
| Succeeded by | John Battle |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 March 1942 Southport, England |
| Political party |
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Michael James Meadowcroft (born 6 March 1942) is a British liberal politician and political affairs consultant who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds West from 1983 to 1987.
Meadowcroft grew up in Southport and was educated at King George V Grammar School. In 1958, he left school to work as a bank clerk, and joined the Liberal Party. He became Chairman of the Merseyside Region of the National League of Young Liberals in 1961.
Between 1962 and 1967, Meadowcroft worked for the Liberal Party and became the party's Local Government Officer. In 1968, he was elected as a Liberal member of Leeds City Council and served until 1983. He also served as a member of West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council from 1981 to 1983.
He held many roles within the party, including the chair of the Liberal Party Assembly committee responsible for organising the party's conferences. He also authored a number of influential pamphlets championing liberal philosophy and the principles of community politics.
He stood unsuccessfully in Leeds West for the Liberals in the general elections of February 1974 and October 1974 before winning in 1983, defeating Labour MP Joseph Dean.
In his maiden speech, he took a familiar stand on the subject of decentralisation of power: "Already there is too much central Government power in local government, as well as the power of individual Ministers to appoint to regional bodies, such as health and water authorities. The thought of Ministers directing more services is certainly alarming. The possession of power is always dangerous. Only by spreading power can we minimise its dangerous effects. The checks and balances of local elections each year within the life of a Parliament are the best deterrents to extreme action."
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