MP for Fulham
What position did Nick Raynsford take from Apr 1986 to May 1987?
Nick Raynsford Wyvill Richard Nicolls Raynsford ( born 28 January 1945 ) , known as Nick Raynsford , is a British politician who served as a government minister from 1997 to 2005 . A member of the Labour Party , he was Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Greenwich and Woolwich , formerly Greenwich , from 1992 to 2015 , having previously been MP for Fulham from 1986 to 1987 . Early life . The son of Wyvill Raynsford and Patricia Raynsford ( née Dunn ) , Raynsford was brought up at Milton Manor in Milton Malsor , Northamptonshire . He was educated at Repton School ( a private school ) and Sidney Sussex College , Cambridge , where he graduated with a BA degree in History in 1966 . He also has a Diploma in Art and Design from the Chelsea School of Art . At university Raynsford was rusticated for a year for night climbing . In the course of this he had displayed a banner against the Vietnam War between the pinnacles of Kings College Chapel . Early career . Raynsford was a councillor for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham from 1971 to 1975 . Before he was elected to Parliament he was Director of the Shelter Housing Aid Centre . He says a major reason he chose to seek parliamentary office was his involvement in campaigning for better provision for the homeless , achieved through the 1977 Homeless Persons Act . The 1977 Act extended local council responsibility to provide accommodation for homeless people in their area , and instituted the right of homeless families to a permanent local council tenancy . Member of Parliament . Raynsford was first elected a member of parliament ( MP ) for the Labour Party in a by-election in Fulham Constituency in 1986 , but at the 1987 General Election lost to Conservative candidate Matthew Carrington . He then became MP for Greenwich at the 1992 general election , and at the 1997 general election he won the re-drawn seat of Greenwich & Woolwich . He retained the seat at the 2001 , 2005 and 2010 general elections , with majorities of 13,433 , 10,146 and 10,153 respectively . In opposition , Raynsford was Shadow Minister for Housing and Construction from 1994 , and front-bench spokesperson for London from 1993 . From 1992 to 1993 , he was a member of the Environment Select Committee . Raynsford joined the Government in 1997 and held responsibility for construction , housing , planning and the regions . During this time he was responsible for the implementation of the Decent Homes Standard . In 1997 , there were 2.1m houses owned by local authorities and housing associations that didnt meet the Decent Homes Standard . By the end of 2010 , 92% of social housing met the standard of being warm and weatherproof with reasonably modern facilities . As Construction Minister , Raynsford was credited with introducing building regulations which significantly improved standards , including making mandatory disabled access in new builds , increasing energy efficiency standards and fire safety . His position also included responsibility for the Fire Service and the creation of the London Resilience Forum to oversee Londons preparedness for dealing with emergencies ( see Operation Sassoon ) . As Local Government Minister he led the Local Government Act 2000 through Parliament , which repealed the controversial Section 28 . As Minister for London from 2001 until 2003 , Raynsford was responsible for restoring democratic citywide government to London , and the creation of the Greater London Authority and the commission of its home at City Hall . After the 2005 general election he returned to the backbenches . In June 2009 , Raynsford publicly called for Gordon Brown to resign as Prime Minister , stating at the time , I personally have considerable respect for Gordon Brown but his leadership is now so seriously damaged that I cant see the likelihood of him leading Labour successfully into the next general election . Its now appropriate for the party to look for a new leader . In opposition again in the 2010–15 Parliament , Raynsford was a consistent critic of the Bedroom tax , and in July 2014 co-sponsored the Affordable Homes Bill , which seeks to limit the impact of the Bedroom tax on tenants in the social rented sector . He also co-chaired a Parliamentary inquiry into youth unemployment which encouraged the promotion of apprenticeships in the construction industry . As a constituency MP , Raynsford promoted regeneration in the Greenwich Borough , including campaigns for the North Greenwich Station on the Jubilee Line , the extension of the DLR to Greenwich and Woolwich , and the campaign to secure a Crossrail Station in Woolwich , and support for bringing the Olympics to his constituency . He also advocated improved river crossings in East and South East London In May 2014 he expressed his opposition to a memorial to murdered soldier Lee Rigby , suggesting it would not in my view be helpful because it might attract undesirable interest from extremists . Greenwich Council noted they had been overwhelmed by interest in a local memorial , but also opposed the tribute . In 2013 Raynsford announced his intention to stand down as Greenwich and Woolwich MP at the next General Election , citing his age as a factor . Additional work . On 28 March 2010 , The Sunday Times reported that Raynsford earned £9,000 per month from jobs in industries connected to his ministerial career . They focussed around three areas of activity – housing , construction and local government – with which Raynsford has been involved throughout his working life . Raynsford remains involved with UK construction . He is chair of CICAIR Ltd , a wholly owned subsidiary of the Construction Industry Council ( CIC - of which he is a board member , and chaired 2006–2008 ) which maintains and operates the Construction Industry Council Approved Inspectors Register regulating Approved Inspectors qualified to undertake building control work . Since January 2019 , Raynsford has been Deputy Chairman of Crossrail Limited . Personal life . He married Anne Jelley in 1968 , and they had three daughters . They were divorced in 2011 , and he is now the husband of Alison Seabeck , the former Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View . Raynsfords ancestry can be seen in Burkes Landed Gentry . External links . - Nick Raysford official site - Nick Raynsfords Weblog official blog