Born on Langley Council Estate, Middleton,[1] Shawcross attended local state schools before gaining a 2:1 degree in Political Theory and Institutions from the University of Liverpool.

[3] Elected as the Deputy President of the Guild of Undergraduates in 1980, she moved to London in 1981 to take up a post at the UK Council for Students Affairs - UKCOSA (Charity).

[6] She accepted the appointment on the condition that she would "consider herself bound by Labour's policies and not the mayor's", with Livingstone at the time being an independent politician.

Shawcross was narrowly defeated by Conservative Jason Perry in the May 2022 Croydon Mayoral election, who won with a majority of less than 600 votes in the second round.

[21] Shawcross was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 Birthday Honours for her services to local government.