Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton
Former local councillor who became a respected government whip in the Lords under Blair and Brown
BARONESS FARRINGTON OF RIBBLETON, who has died aged 77, chaired Lancashire education committee for a decade, then was a government whip in the Lords throughout the 13 years of the Blair-brown government.
Labour – and Lancashire – to her fingertips, Josie Farrington chaired her council and the Association of County Councils (ACC), was active in the Council of Europe and the EU Committee of the Regions, being named UK European Woman of the Year in 1974. But she made her mark in the Lords as arguably the most effective of the Labour whips, and for her down-to-earth contributions to debate.
In July 2015 she convulsed the House when, during a debate on the pet passport scheme, she recalled what had happened when the family’s tame ferret got up the trouser leg of one of her sons. “She did enjoy trouser legs, and it’s very important for people to take care,” she concluded.
Lady Farrington made a highly practical point when, in 2013, peers discussed the fallout from Clause 28, which had formerly outlawed the propagation of homosexuality in schools. She recalled that when the head of a Lancashire school asked the children to draw a Christmas morning scene, one produced a picture of herself tucked up with her “two mummies”.
“We have to stop preventing teachers teaching children about the world in which they are growing up.” she said. “I may not like particular aspects of life. I am not awfully fond of rap, but that is an age thing, not an artistic judgment.”
Born Josephine Cayless on June 29 1940, she was elected to Preston borough council in 1973, and to Lancashire county council in 1976, chairing its education committee from 1981 and the council itself in 1992.
In 1987 she crossed swords with Kenneth Baker, the Conservative Education Secretary, insisting that northern schools were receiving less than their fair share of capital funding despite his denials.
From 1987 to 1994 she led the Labour group on the ACC, chairing that body from 1994 to 1996 when Labour held the majority of the English counties. From 1981 to 1994 she served on the Council of Europe’s standing conference of local authorities, for the final five years chairing its committee for education, training and the regions. From 1994 she held a similar post on the Committee of the Regions. She was also an international observer at elections in Albania, Poland and Ukraine.
Josie Farrington twice fought unwinnable seats for Labour: West Lancashire at the 1983 general election, when she came 6,858 votes behind the Conservatives’ Ken Hind, and Ribble Valley in a 1991 by-election, coming third when the Conservatives lost a safe seat to Michael Carr of the Liberal Democrats.
She was created a life peer – Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton – in 1994, and after Labour’s victory in 1997 was appointed a Baroness in Waiting, or government whip. In this capacity she spoke for the government on the environment, rural affairs and Northern Ireland.
Josephine Cayless married Michael Farrington in 1960. He survives her, with their three sons.
Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton, born June 29 1940, died March 30 2018