Tracey Crouch, who is the Conservative MP for Chatham and Ayelsford, has been appointed as minister for sport and civil society, following a shake up at at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Crouch said: "I couldn't be happier to be working on the civil society brief. The sector has always been close to my heart, having been a volunteer for years as a football coach, while off the pitch I've championed mental health and animal welfare causes among others.
"I can't wait to meet the sector and look forward to being a real advocate for the positive impact that charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises have on millions of lives up and down the country."
Her full brief comprises of: gambling, horse racing, Office for Civil Society, sport, the National Lottery and society lotteries.
DCMS had initially said that the new minister for civil society would be John Glen, who was appointed to the junior minister role to fill the gap left by Rob Wilson, who lost his seat at the election.
Glen said on Twitter that he will be minister for arts, heritage and tourism at DCMS. He will also have responsibility for libraries, which had been part of Wilson's portfolio.
Crouch was elected in 2010 and was a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee from 2012 to 2015 and a member of the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, and of the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee from 2013 to 2015.
She was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage on 12 May 2015.
On her website she describes herself as a “keen sports enthusiast” and has become a FA qualified football coach and manages a local girls football team.
She lists a number of patronages on her website, they are:
- Patron, Conservatives Against Fox Hunting
- President of RSPCA Medway
- Honorary member of the Royal Engineers
- Honorary member of the Friends of Mental Health, West Kent and Medway
- Patron of the Medway Branch of the National Osteoporosis Society
- Honorary Member of Bradfields School Student Council
- Vice President of Kent branch of Campaign to Protect Rural England
- Patron of Peter’s Place
- Independent Chair of Medway Council’s Physical Disability Partnership Board
- Patron of Blenheim CDP: The London Drug and Alcohol Agency
- Patron of the Halpern Charitable Foundation
Crouch has also supported a wide range of charities in her local area, including the British Heart Foundation, NCS and Macmillan Cancer Support.
In 2010 she campaigned against bogus charity bag collections, securing a debate in Parliament on the issue.
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