Satvir Kaur | |
---|---|
Leader of Southampton City Council | |
In office 18 May 2022 – 20 December 2023 | |
Preceded by | Daniel Fitzhenry |
Succeeded by | Lorna Fielker |
Member of
Southampton City Council for Shirley | |
Assumed office 6 May 2011 | |
Preceded by | Matthew Dean |
Personal details | |
Born | Southampton, Hampshire, England |
Political party | Labour |
Alma mater |
University of Southampton Solent University |
Satvir Kaur is a British politician from the Labour Party. She served as Leader of Southampton City Council from 2022 to 2023, being the first female Sikh leader of a local authority in Britain. She has represented Shirley on the City Council since 2011.
Kaur was born and raised in Southampton, England. [1] Her family owned a sari shop in the Bevois area of the city. [2]
Kaur was educated at Mount Pleasant Juniors and St Anne’s Catholic School. [3] She graduated with a degree in Politics from the University of Southampton, and later Law from Solent University. [4]
At the 2011 local elections, Kaur was elected to represent Shirley ward on Southampton City Council. [5] She gained the seat from the incumbent Conservative, and was re-elected in 2015 and 2019. Kaur campaigned for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, USA ahead of the 2016 presidential election. [6]
After Labour lost control of Southampton City Council in 2021, [7] she was elected as leader of the Labour group. [8] Kaur became council leader once Labour regained their majority in 2022. [9] [10] She was the first female Sikh council leader in Britain. [11]
Kaur was selected as Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Southampton Test in July 2022. [12] [13] Later that year, she introduced party leader Keir Starmer ahead of his speech at the Labour Party Conference. [14]
In May 2023, Kaur stated as City Council leader that "we are not facing bankruptcy. To say otherwise is a lie and political opportunism". [15] In July 2023, Southampton City Council alerted the government over financial emergency. [16]
In December 2023, Kaur announced that she was stepping down as council leader in order to focus on campaigning for the general election. [17] She was succeeded by her deputy leader, Lorna Fielker. [18]
Kaur supports establishing an investment zone in Southampton. [19] She has spoken at an event marking the positive contribution of refugees to her city. [20]