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Pete Lowe
DudleyPolitics:
Councillor Pete Lowe is a [[British Labour party|British Labour Party]] politician. He was Leader at [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]] between December 2014 and May 2017 and again in 2018<ref></ref>, before standing down to become Cabinet Member for Finance<ref></ref>, a position he previously held between 2012 and 2014.
He was Vice-Chair of the [[West Midlands Combined Authority]] when it was officially established in June 2017.<ref></ref>
__FORCETOC__
|profession=Nurse|occupation=Union Officer|spouse=Su Lowe|children=2|caption=Pete Lowe pictured (Right) speaking to Dudley Labour group leader Qadar Zada (Left)}}
== Early Life ==
Pete Lowe was born in 1968 and raised in Stourbridge where he has lived all his life. He attended Thorns Primary and Secondary Schools before attending [[Halesowen College of Further Education|Halesowen College]] where he studied Government and Politics. He also studied drama where, for a short time, he was tutored by the comedian [[Frank Skinner]]. He joined the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] at the age of 15 in 1984 during the [[Miners' strike|Miners' Strike.]]
In his youth Pete campaigned for the [[Miners' strike|Miners' Strike]] organising collections of food and money. He also campaigned against [[Section 28|Clause 28]] and is a passionate supporter of [[LGBT|LGBT+]] rights.
He qualified as a nurse in 1992 and started work at [[Dudley Guest Hospital]]. He became a specialist stroke nurse in 1995 before becoming a Charge Nurse on the Medical Admissions Ward at [[Russells Hall Hospital|Russell's Hall Hospital]]. He also worked at [[Corbett Hospital|Corbett]] and [[Wordsley Hospital|Wordsley Hospitals]] in the West Midlands which formed part of the Dudley Group of Hospitals.
== Trade Unionism ==
Pete joined NUPE on his first day of nurse training in 1989 and quickly got involved in local campaigns including the Ambulance dispute and nurse shift changes. He helped organise the Dudley Campaign against the Poll Tax (Community Charge).
In 1990 he became a work placed steward and, once qualified, in 1992 became the Branch Secretary of the NUPE Branch covering Dudley Hospitals. Upon the merger of [[NUPE]], [[Cohse|COHSE]] AND [[NALGO]] in 1995 to create [[Unison (trade union)|UNISON]] Pete became its first Branch Secretary. He served [[Unison (trade union)|UNISON]] between 1995 and 1999 at regional level as Vice-Chair of its Health Committee and as a delegate to its national and regional conferences.
He started the campaign against [[Private finance initiative|PFI]] in Dudley, helping to organise the dispute which led to the longest dispute in NHS history in 2000.<ref> HEALTH Hospital strike leads to cancelled ops|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2019-05-25}}</ref> This dispute led to the retention of the employment model agreement which gave workers additional protections when privatised. In 1999 he became a Regional Officer for UNISON based in the West Midlands and has represented the region at regional and national level.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref></ref> He currently works for Managers in Partnership (MiP) as a National Officer<ref></ref>
== Local Government ==
Pete Lowe was elected to [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]] in 2003 and then from 2006 to present. He represents [[Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Lye and Stourbridge North]]. He became Leader in December 2014 until May 2017 and again in 2018. He stood down as Leader to concentrate on his wider [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] priorities and became Cabinet Member for Finance, Council Sustainability and Transformation at [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|Dudley Council]]. As Leader he ensured his Cabinet was gender balanced and represented the diverse communities the borough serves. Under Pete's Leadership Dudley Council elected their first ever Muslim Mayor, Mohammed Hanif<ref></ref>.
Pete became Vice Chair of the newly established [[West Midlands Combined Authority]] (WMCA) in June 2017, a position he held until the first Mayoral elections in May 2017<ref></ref>. During this time he worked with West Midlands TUC to ensure Trade Union Representation on the WMCA Board (the first in the country)<ref></ref> as well as launching THRIVE, a initiative to promote employability for those with Mental Ill Health.<ref></ref> He also took responsibility for environment at the WMCA.
Pete was the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] Candidate for [[Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Stourbridge]] at both the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] and [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]] General Elections.
== West Midlands Mayoral Elections ==
Pete is considering standing as the Labour candidate in the [[2020 West Midlands mayoral election|2020 West Midlands Mayoral elections]].
If he is selected as the candidate, as well as consulting with CLP's he is committed to holding a policy development conference for party members so that they will have a say in developing his election manifesto.
He intends to lead the fight for the full restoration of funding lost to Local Government since 2010, working with partners to support the most vulnerable communities and ensuring that everybody throughout the region benefits from increased devolved powers.
Other key policies will include:
* Creating a People's Bank that operates fairly for all communities and provides funding for SME's
* Developing the 'Preston Model' of Community Wealth building, where the Combined Authority would work with anchor institutions in the public and private sector to ensure they spend their money and resources within the West Midlands region
* Ensuring we give both younger and older working people from low income backgrounds the opportunity to access the right training and development to get decent, well paid work
* Engaging with disadvantaged groups across the region to ensure that transport is affordable and accessible for all
== Activism ==
=== Anti-racist action ===
Pete has been active in equality issues all his life and has worked with groups such as Hope not Hate and Unite against Fascism. He helped co-ordinate and support the campaign against groups such as EDL who targeted Dudley during 2010 to 2015<ref></ref>.
=== Fairtrade ===
In 2014 Pete moved a motion at Dudley Council creating it as the first Fairtrade Town in the [[Black Country]]<ref></ref>.
=== Black Country Festival ===
As leader of Dudley Council Pete established the Black Country Festival with local volunteers to help promote the Black Country. Utilising the flag which was designed by local student Grace Shepherd<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
=== Save Stourbridge College ===
Pete Lowe has been a vehement supporter of the campaign against the proposed closure of [[Stourbridge College]]<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> He is working with unions to find a solution to keep the college open<ref></ref>
== Personal Life ==
Pete is married to Su who he met when they studied nursing together in 1989. She is a [[Unite the Union|Unite]] official. Together they have two daughters. Pete is a Board Member at the [[Black Country Living Museum]]<ref></ref>, was a patron of Summit and is currently a director of a community based Music Charity that promotes the local community in Stourbridge.
== References ==
<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->
He was Vice-Chair of the [[West Midlands Combined Authority]] when it was officially established in June 2017.<ref></ref>
__FORCETOC__
|profession=Nurse|occupation=Union Officer|spouse=Su Lowe|children=2|caption=Pete Lowe pictured (Right) speaking to Dudley Labour group leader Qadar Zada (Left)}}
== Early Life ==
Pete Lowe was born in 1968 and raised in Stourbridge where he has lived all his life. He attended Thorns Primary and Secondary Schools before attending [[Halesowen College of Further Education|Halesowen College]] where he studied Government and Politics. He also studied drama where, for a short time, he was tutored by the comedian [[Frank Skinner]]. He joined the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] at the age of 15 in 1984 during the [[Miners' strike|Miners' Strike.]]
In his youth Pete campaigned for the [[Miners' strike|Miners' Strike]] organising collections of food and money. He also campaigned against [[Section 28|Clause 28]] and is a passionate supporter of [[LGBT|LGBT+]] rights.
He qualified as a nurse in 1992 and started work at [[Dudley Guest Hospital]]. He became a specialist stroke nurse in 1995 before becoming a Charge Nurse on the Medical Admissions Ward at [[Russells Hall Hospital|Russell's Hall Hospital]]. He also worked at [[Corbett Hospital|Corbett]] and [[Wordsley Hospital|Wordsley Hospitals]] in the West Midlands which formed part of the Dudley Group of Hospitals.
== Trade Unionism ==
Pete joined NUPE on his first day of nurse training in 1989 and quickly got involved in local campaigns including the Ambulance dispute and nurse shift changes. He helped organise the Dudley Campaign against the Poll Tax (Community Charge).
In 1990 he became a work placed steward and, once qualified, in 1992 became the Branch Secretary of the NUPE Branch covering Dudley Hospitals. Upon the merger of [[NUPE]], [[Cohse|COHSE]] AND [[NALGO]] in 1995 to create [[Unison (trade union)|UNISON]] Pete became its first Branch Secretary. He served [[Unison (trade union)|UNISON]] between 1995 and 1999 at regional level as Vice-Chair of its Health Committee and as a delegate to its national and regional conferences.
He started the campaign against [[Private finance initiative|PFI]] in Dudley, helping to organise the dispute which led to the longest dispute in NHS history in 2000.<ref> HEALTH Hospital strike leads to cancelled ops|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2019-05-25}}</ref> This dispute led to the retention of the employment model agreement which gave workers additional protections when privatised. In 1999 he became a Regional Officer for UNISON based in the West Midlands and has represented the region at regional and national level.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref><ref></ref> He currently works for Managers in Partnership (MiP) as a National Officer<ref></ref>
== Local Government ==
Pete Lowe was elected to [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council]] in 2003 and then from 2006 to present. He represents [[Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Lye and Stourbridge North]]. He became Leader in December 2014 until May 2017 and again in 2018. He stood down as Leader to concentrate on his wider [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] priorities and became Cabinet Member for Finance, Council Sustainability and Transformation at [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|Dudley Council]]. As Leader he ensured his Cabinet was gender balanced and represented the diverse communities the borough serves. Under Pete's Leadership Dudley Council elected their first ever Muslim Mayor, Mohammed Hanif<ref></ref>.
Pete became Vice Chair of the newly established [[West Midlands Combined Authority]] (WMCA) in June 2017, a position he held until the first Mayoral elections in May 2017<ref></ref>. During this time he worked with West Midlands TUC to ensure Trade Union Representation on the WMCA Board (the first in the country)<ref></ref> as well as launching THRIVE, a initiative to promote employability for those with Mental Ill Health.<ref></ref> He also took responsibility for environment at the WMCA.
Pete was the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] Candidate for [[Stourbridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Stourbridge]] at both the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]] and [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]] General Elections.
== West Midlands Mayoral Elections ==
Pete is considering standing as the Labour candidate in the [[2020 West Midlands mayoral election|2020 West Midlands Mayoral elections]].
If he is selected as the candidate, as well as consulting with CLP's he is committed to holding a policy development conference for party members so that they will have a say in developing his election manifesto.
He intends to lead the fight for the full restoration of funding lost to Local Government since 2010, working with partners to support the most vulnerable communities and ensuring that everybody throughout the region benefits from increased devolved powers.
Other key policies will include:
* Creating a People's Bank that operates fairly for all communities and provides funding for SME's
* Developing the 'Preston Model' of Community Wealth building, where the Combined Authority would work with anchor institutions in the public and private sector to ensure they spend their money and resources within the West Midlands region
* Ensuring we give both younger and older working people from low income backgrounds the opportunity to access the right training and development to get decent, well paid work
* Engaging with disadvantaged groups across the region to ensure that transport is affordable and accessible for all
== Activism ==
=== Anti-racist action ===
Pete has been active in equality issues all his life and has worked with groups such as Hope not Hate and Unite against Fascism. He helped co-ordinate and support the campaign against groups such as EDL who targeted Dudley during 2010 to 2015<ref></ref>.
=== Fairtrade ===
In 2014 Pete moved a motion at Dudley Council creating it as the first Fairtrade Town in the [[Black Country]]<ref></ref>.
=== Black Country Festival ===
As leader of Dudley Council Pete established the Black Country Festival with local volunteers to help promote the Black Country. Utilising the flag which was designed by local student Grace Shepherd<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>
=== Save Stourbridge College ===
Pete Lowe has been a vehement supporter of the campaign against the proposed closure of [[Stourbridge College]]<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> He is working with unions to find a solution to keep the college open<ref></ref>
== Personal Life ==
Pete is married to Su who he met when they studied nursing together in 1989. She is a [[Unite the Union|Unite]] official. Together they have two daughters. Pete is a Board Member at the [[Black Country Living Museum]]<ref></ref>, was a patron of Summit and is currently a director of a community based Music Charity that promotes the local community in Stourbridge.
== References ==
<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->
May 26, 2019 at 08:06AM
