Paddy Tipping


Simon Patrick Tipping is a British Labour Party politician who is the current Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner. He was the Member of Parliament for the Sherwood constituency from 1992 until 2010.

Early life

Tipping was born in Halifax. He went to Hipperholme Grammar School in Hipperholme. At the University of Nottingham, he gained a BA in Philosophy in 1972 and an MA in Social Sciences in 1978. He was a social worker in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire from 1972 until 1979. Between 1979 and 1983 he was a Project Leader for the Children's Society in Nottingham. From 1981 to 1993 he was a Councillor on Nottinghamshire County Council.

Parliamentary career

Tipping contested Rushcliffe in 1987. He took Sherwood from the Conservatives in 1992.
Tipping served in a number of junior government positions, becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Secretary Jack Straw in 1997. In 1999 he was then promoted to Deputy Leader of the House of Commons and appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Privy Council Office, where he was responsible for dealing with issues relating to the year 2000 computer date problem. Following this, Tipping became Chairman of the sub-committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in 2001 and, after a period on the backbenches, in 2006 he again served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Jack Straw.
On 23 October 2009, Tipping announced his decision to stand down at the next general election, following a period of ill health.

Police and Crime Commissioner

Tipping was elected as Nottinghamshire's Police and Crime Commissioner in the 2012 inaugural PCC election. He announced plans to pay a "pension" to cover medical bills etc. for retired police dogs, a move which dog handlers welcomed.
Tipping was re-elected for a second-term on 6 May 2016.

Personal life

He is Vice-President of the Ramblers Association. He married Irene Margaret Quinn on 8 January 1970 in Nottingham. They have two daughters. He suffered a heart attack in June 2009.