About Ruth George

I’ve lived in the centre of Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook for almost 20 years, and was in New Mills for 15 years before that.  I brought up my four children here and I supported the local community in practical ways for many years before being elected to Parliament for High Peak in 2017 and then to Derbyshire County Council for Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook in 2020.  I combine my councillor role with care work in people’s homes in the early mornings, and with caring for my family and helping with my two grandchildren aged 4 and 2.

I moved to High Peak aged 21. Living in New Mills for 15 years, I set up an accountancy firm in Chapel-en-le-Frith with my then husband, supporting local businesses and farmers. 

My two eldest children went to Furness Vale school where I was a school governor and enjoyed community events at Furness Vale Social Club.  

From 1999 I worked for almost 20 years for the shopworkers’ trade union, Usdaw. I led campaigns on raising the minimum wage, better family friendly rights at work and improving support for carers.  I devised and ran the Freedom from Fear campaign to tackle abuse and violence against staff, and helped to engineer defeats of both the Labour and Conservative governments on Sunday trading proposals.

I moved to Tunstead Milton, just outside Whaley Bridge almost 20 years ago and my younger children attended Combs Infant School at first.  One was then at Whaley Bridge Primary and the other at Taxal & Fernilee before both going to Chapel High School where Danny is just doing his GCSEs while Matty is doing A levels at Aquinas.  My knowledge and links with most local schools have helped me to successfully work with all the local PTAs to run a recycling scheme for school uniforms for the last five years.

Before being elected to any political role, I was much involved in the local community, helping to run Whaley Bridge After School Club, campaigning against inappropriate developments across High Peak, and working hard with a small team to produce the Chapel-en-le-Frith Neighbourhood Plan. The plan was the first volunteer-led plan in the country and has stood up well against developer plans for yet more green field housing sites.

In 2017 I stood as Labour’s candidate and was (unexpectedly) elected as the first woman MP for High Peak, overturning the Conservatives’ 5,000 majority on a swing of over 7%.

In Parliament I joined the Work & Pensions Select Committee to campaign on behalf of vulnerable people. I set up the All-Party Group on Universal Credit to campaign and won several important improvements to the new benefit to prevent more people falling into poverty.

I also campaigned a lot on local health services and the voluntary sector. I led debates on the cuts to local health and voluntary sector services which helped to reduce the cuts they faced, on young people’s mental health which helped to improve support at the time, and on the East Midlands Ambulance Service which was credited with achieving an extra £20m for increased staffing.

On leaving Parliament at the 2019 election, I stood for Derbyshire County Council in the Whaley Bridge by-election of February 2020 and was elected on over 50% of the vote. In the election of 2021 I faced a high profile challenge from former Conservative MP Edwina Currie but won with an increased vote.

As county councillor I have worked to protect as many local services as possible – leading campaigns against the closure of care homes and day centres which helped to save Whitestones Care Home and Eccles Fold Day Centre in Chapel, and delayed closures of Alderbrook in Chinley and Goyt Valley House in New Mills.

Supporting individuals and issues reported to me takes up much of my time. Highways issues dominate my inbox due to the number of problems with our roads and footpaths and Derbyshire’s appalling record as ‘the pothole capital’. I work hard to try and get problems fixed as quickly as possible and keep residents informed, and I pressed to finally get DCC to spend the Safer Roads Funding from 2017 on Long Hill improvements.

I support as many local community groups as I can, both as a volunteer and with funding grants. I regularly cook the vegetarian and gluten-free options and puddings for Whaley Bridge Luncheon Club. I help out at Furness Vale Community Shop once a month. I’m involved with fairs and events held by Chinley & Buxworth Community Association, and I get hands on with local groups improving our environment.

Adult social care accounts for over 40% of DCC’s budget. I started to work in care in the early mornings over a year ago in order to learn more about the challenges it presents and what’s needed by frail people who live at home.  It’s a role that fits with my county council work but is also incredibly educational and personally satisfying.  I enjoy being able to visit people who are often lonely and not only give them the care they need and make sure they keep as well as possible, but also to put a smile on their face and learn about their interesting lives.  

Having been Deputy Leader of Derbyshire Labour Group since 2021, proposing motions to council, scrutinising high spending, and putting a huge amount of work into leading the opposition on the two highest spending areas of Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, I was devastated to have been told that the Labour Party did not want me to stand again.

The community’s outpouring of support and good wishes when I announced the party’s decision convinced me to stand independently so people in Whaley Bridge and Blackbrook could choose if they wished for me to continue representing them. I became an Independent councillor in March 2025 and am standing as an Independent candidate in this election.

When I’m not working as a councillor or in care, I enjoy walks in our beautiful countryside with my new puppy, gardening and spending time with my children and grandchildren.