Margaret Burgess

Margaret Jean Burgess (born 7 December 1949) is a former Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. She was the Minister for Housing and Welfare from 2012 to 2016, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Cunninghame South constituency from 2011 to 2016.

Margaret Burgess
Minister for Housing and Welfare
In office
5 September 2012 – 18 May 2016
First MinisterAlex Salmond
Nicola Sturgeon
Preceded byKeith Brown
Member of the Scottish Parliament
for Cunninghame South
In office
6 May 2011 – 24 March 2016
Preceded byIrene Oldfather
Succeeded byRuth Maguire
Personal details
Born (1949-12-07) 7 December 1949
Political partyScottish National Party

Early life

Burgess was born on 7 December 1949 in Ayrshire, Scotland.[1] She worked as a Citizens Advice manager in East Ayrshire.[2]

Political career

She was elected in the 2011 election.[3]

On 5 September 2012 she was appointed as Minister for Housing and Welfare, a portfolio intended to reflect the important role of housing in aiding economic recovery and the challenges that face those in poverty.[4] During her time in office, the Scottish Government remained on course to exceed its affordable home-building target and improvements were made to the planning system.[5]

In June 2015, Burgess announced that she would retire from Holyrood at the 2016 election.[6] She pledged "full support for whoever is selected" as the new SNP candidate for her seat, and said "I look forward to joining the new candidate on the campaign trail.[6] On 18 May 2016 the housing and welfare junior ministerial briefs were reallocated as part of a Cabinet reshuffle.[7]

References
  1. "About: People: Cabinet & Ministers: Minister for Housing & Welfare". Scottish Government. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  2. "Margaret Burgess MSP this week stood down as an MSP as the campaign for the 2016 Scottish Parliament begins". Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  3. "Previous MSPs: Session 4: Margaret Burgess". The Scottish Parliament. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  4. Gardham, Magnus. "Sturgeon quits health for referendum role". The Herald (Glasgow). Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  5. Shannon, Kate (8 October 2015). "Interview: Housing Minister Margaret Burgess". Holyrood. Edinburgh. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  6. Dunn, Ross (1 June 2015). "Margaret Burgess to resign from Scottish Parliament ahead of next year's election". Irvine Herald. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  7. "Who is in the 2016 Scottish cabinet?". BBC News. 18 May 2016.
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