He was the younger son of
Hugo MacColl, a master marine engineer. At the age of 12 he was orphaned. MacColl was educated at
Sedbergh School and
Balliol College, Oxford. At Oxford he became secretary of the University Labour club. He graduated with degrees in philosophy, politics and economics. Following his graduation he received a
Commonwealth Fund fellowship and spent two years at
University of Chicago in the
United States. He was
called to the bar at the
Inner Temple in 1933, and practiced on the
North East Circuit. MacColl believed in the importance of
local government and co-authored two books on the subject. At the
1950 general election he was elected
Member of Parliament for
Widnes, and held the seat for two decades until his death in 1971 aged 62. From 1964 to 1969, he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Housing and Local Government. MacColl was an active "
High Anglican" member of the
Church of England, and was a member of the church's Board for Social Responsibility. He was unmarried. ==References==