Shirley Porter
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Dame Shirley Porter, Lady Porter DBE |
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|---|---|
| Lord Mayor of Westminster | |
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In office 1991–1992 |
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| Preceded by | David Avery |
| Succeeded by | Cyril Nemeth |
| Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London | |
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In office 28 June 1988 – 26 October 1994 |
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| Leader of Westminster City Council | |
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In office 1983–1991 |
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| Succeeded by | David Weeks |
| Councillor (Hyde Park Ward) | |
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In office 1974–1993 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 November 1930 Clapton, London, England, U.K. |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Sir Leslie Porter (deceased) |
| Children | John Porter, Linda Porter |
| Residence |
Park Lane, Mayfair, London Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Religion | Judaism |
Dame Shirley Porter, Lady Porter, DBE (née Cohen; born 29 November 1930) is a former Conservative leader of Westminster City Council in London. She is the daughter and heir of Sir Jack Cohen, the founder of Tesco supermarkets. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1991 by John Major after delivering "a spectacular victory" in Westminster for the Conservatives in the 1990 elections.
While leader of Westminster City Council she oversaw the "Building Stable Communities" policy, later described as the "homes for votes" scandal and was consequently accused of gerrymandering. The policy was judged illegal by the district auditor, and a surcharge of £27m levied on her in 1996. This was later raised to £42 million with interest and costs. She eventually settled in 2004, paying a "full and final settlement" of £12.3 million.
Porter moved to Herzliya Pituah, Israel, in 1994 during the inquiry, and returned to London in 2006. She helped establish the Porter Centre for Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University, which opened its iconic LEED Platinum-graded building in 2014.
Shirley Cohen was born in Upper Clapton, London, on 29 November 1930. Her father, Jacob Edward "Jack" Cohen, was the founder and owner of Tesco, and her mother was Sarah "Cissie" (née Fox), the daughter of a master tailor. Cohen opened the first two Tesco stores in 1929. By 1939, he owned over 100 Tesco stores across the country. The family lived at 7 Gunton Road, Hackney, a former council house in the East End of London that Jack had purchased from Hackney Council with the help of a £1,000 council loan.
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