Education
Born in Derby, he attended the Street John Fisher Primary School in Alvaston. Castle Donington High School, and Street Thomas More High School, Allenton. He later attended the Leicester Polytechnic where he obtained a CQSW in 1985.
Born in Derby, he attended the Street John Fisher Primary School in Alvaston. Castle Donington High School, and Street Thomas More High School, Allenton. He later attended the Leicester Polytechnic where he obtained a CQSW in 1985.
Williamson was also previously a local councilor in Derby, representing the Normanton ward from 1991 until his resignation in 2011. He was twice leader of Derby City Council. Early He worked as a mechanical engineering apprentice for a year from 1972 before working six years as a bricklayer.
He was a social worker in Derby between 1983 and 1986 before working as a welfare rights officer
He has been vegan since the 1970s. Williamson joined the Labour Party in 1976 and became a councillor in 1991 and became Leader of the Labour Group on Derby City Council.
He was Leader of Derby City Council on two separate occasions. He was the second newly elected Member of Parliament of the 2010 intake to make his maiden speech in the House of Commons, speaking in response to the Queen"s Speech on 25 May 2010.
He was one of 16 signatories of an open letter to Editor Miliband in January 2015 calling on the party to commit to oppose further austerity, take rail franchises back into public ownership and strengthen collective bargaining arrangements.
At the 2015 general election, Williamson lost the Derby North seat to Amanda Solloway of the Conservative Party.
Political In October 2010, he became a shadow minister for communities and local government after only four months as an Member of Parliament but after the reshuffle of the party in 2013 his role as shadow minister was replaced by Lyn Brown and he was elected onto the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
55th United Kingdom Parliament]
He is a member of the League Against Cruel Sports and is vice chair of the Local Government Anti Poverty Forum.