Jackie Ballard

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Jackie Ballard (born 1953) has been a politician and journalist in the United Kingdom. She is currently the Director General of the RSPCA.

Ballard was born in Dunoon, Scotland. Her family moved, when she was 10, to South Wales, where she studied at Monmouth School for Girls. She then read social psychology at the London School of Economics. She was recruited into the then Liberal Party by Paddy Ashdown and was elected a Councillor for both the South Somerset District Council (1987-1991) and Somerset County Council (1993-1997).

Ballard was elected the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Taunton, at the 1997 general election, beating the sitting MP David Nicholson (Conservative) by 2,443 votes. However, she lost her seat at the 2001 general election by 235 votes, to Adrian Flook, who was the Conservative candidate.

In Parliament, she was spokesperson on Women's Issues and on Local Government from 1997 to 1999 and from 1999 to 2001 was Deputy Home Affairs Spokesman. She was also co-sponsor of the first bill which attempted to ban fox hunting, which is widely seen as an important factor in her defeat at the 2001 election. She also stood for the post of leader of the Liberal Democrats in 1999, but was defeated by Charles Kennedy, and came fourth out of five candidates.

After losing her seat, Ballard spent some time in Iran, before being appointed Director General of the RSPCA in September 2002. Her appointment was criticised as she was seen as too inexperienced. The controversy continued as, to solve the financial problems the RSPCA was facing, she made substantial changes, including 300 job cuts. However, by 2004 the RSPCA had balanced its books and made £7m savings, seeming to vindicate Ballard's approach.