THE former leader of Barnsley’s Liberal Democrats has been given a Peerage and will now have her seat in the House of Lords.
A political peerage is a lifetime noble title granted to an individual, giving them the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords - the upper chamber of the UK Parliament.
Unlike hereditary peerages, which are passed down through families, life peerages are held only for the recipient’s lifetime and cannot be inherited by their children.
Hannah, who is now Baroness Kitching, was nominated for the title by the leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey.
She is one of five Lib Dem nominations to have received the intention of Peerage by King Charles III.
She was elected into the Penistone West ward in 2018 and oversaw the party’s rise to becoming the official opposition to the Labour-run council, before standing down at May’s local elections.
She is still the Mayor of Penistone and a Penistone Town Councillor.
Hannah told the Chronicle: “I did not know that this was on the cards when I made the decision to step down from Barnsley Council, but it is the greatest honour and opportunity of my life. I am so excited to join the Lib Dem team in Parliament and to play my part in scrutinising, changing and implementing legislation to improve people's lives in Penistone, in Barnsley and across the UK.”
Current Lib Dem councillor Coun Dickie Denton said that it was a ‘richly deserved honour’.
He said: “Baroness Kitching has been a hardworking and dedicated stalwart of our local Liberal Democrat team for many years and led our Barnsley Council group with determination, integrity and tenacity.
“A former NHS physiotherapist, Hannah joined the Liberal Democrats soon after the 2016 Brexit referendum.
“When she was first elected to Barnsley Council in 2018, she was our party’s sole councillor.
“Through tireless campaigning and leadership, she helped build our local party into the well established group that it is today.
“Beyond Barnsley and Penistone, Hannah has travelled the length and breadth of the country supporting Liberal Democrat parliamentary by-election campaigns, always willing to lend a hand wherever it was needed.
“Hannah is currently chair of Yorkshire Liberal Democrats, vice chair of the English Party, and serves on both the Federal Board and the Federal Conference Committee, where she has consistently championed organisational improvement, electoral success and the growth of our party.
“On behalf of everyone in Barnsley and Penistone Liberal Democrats, we offer our warmest congratulations to Baroness Hannah Kitching on this well-earned appointment.
“We know she will be an outstanding advocate for Liberal Democrat values in the House of Lords, and we wish her every success in this important new role.”
