Latest civil service & public affairs moves – September 5

UK government

• Prime Minister’s Office: House of Lords Appointments Commission – Harry Mount appointed as independent member from 11 September.
• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: HM Land Registry – Nilesh (Neil) Sachdev appointed as chair. UK Endorsement Board – Pauline Wallace appointed as chair for three years from 11 September, having served as Interim Chair since September 2020.
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Advisory Council on National Records and Archives – Kate Grimley Evans appointed as member from 15 September until 14 September 2025. Arts Council England – Helen Birchenough re-appointed as South West Area chair for four years from 5 December. Expert Advisory Panel for the Cultural Education Plan – Baroness Bull CBE appointed as chair. Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust – Michael Salter-Church MBE appointed as chair. Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest – Pippa Shirley re-appointed as member for four years from 15 October. Victoria and Albert Museum – Professor Rosalind Blakesley, Rusty Elvidge and Zewditu Gebreyohanes appointed as trustees for four years from 5 September. Baroness Sanderson of Welton appointed as independent chair of a new advisory panel to help develop new public libraries strategy, due in 2023. Participants in the panel sessions will be confirmed in due course. All sessions will be attended by representatives from Arts Council England, Libraries Connected and Local Government Association.
• Department for Education: Office for Students – Susan Lapworth appointed as chief executive from 1 September until the end of August 2026, having served as interim chief executive since May 2022.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Food and Drink Sector Council – Tim Smith appointed as industry chair for two years from 30 August. He will share the chair with the government chair Victoria Prentis MP.
• Government Equalities Office: Social Mobility Commission – Dr Raghib Ali, Resham Kotecha, Matthew Goodwin, Ryan Henson, Rob Henderson, Parminder Kohli and Rob Wilson appointed to the Board as commissioners for four years.
• Department of Health and Social Care: Health Services Safety Investigations Body – Dr Ted Baker named as the government’s preferred candidate for chair. The Health and Social Care Committee will hold a pre-appointment scrutiny hearing with Dr Baker. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – Michael Borowitz appointed as non-executive director for four years from 19 September until 18 September 2026.
• NHS Resolution – Sally Cheshire CBE appointed as chair for three years from 19 September. Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration – Dr Raj Patel appointed as member from 1 December until 31 July 2025. 
• Ministry of Justice – Alan Blake appointed as circuit judge to the South Eastern Circuit, based at Luton Crown Court, from 12 September. Uma Joshi appointed as Judge of the first-tier tribunal to the Social Entitlement Chamber from 5 September. Pakeeza Rahman appointed as district judge to the Western Circuit, based at Truro Combined Court, from 5 September. Civil Justice Council – Dr Natalie Byrom, Kate Pasfield, John Sorabji and James Walker appointed as members for three years until 31 July 2025. Civil Procedure Rules Committee – Ben Roe and Virginia Jones appointed as legal members for three years. Family Procedure Rules Committee – Bill Turner re-appointed as lay advice member for three years from 4 November until 3 November 2025. Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service – Amy Rees appointed as chief executive from 1 September, succeeding Dr Jo Farrar who will focus on her wider role as second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, including digital transformation of justice services; Phil Copple appointed as director general of operations for prisons and probation from 1 September. Judicial Conduct and Investigations Office – Clive Chalk, Paul Curtis, Jenni Douglas Todd, Victor Marshall OBE, Patrick Stayt, Lynne Vernon, Dr Suzy Walton, Judith Webb MBE, Peter Wrench and Wendy Yeadon re-appointed as lay panel members until 31 March 2023. Judicial Pension Board – Christina Blacklaws appointed as chair for three years from 1 September. Sentencing Council – Diana Fawcett re-appointed as non-judicial member, with specific responsibility for promoting the welfare of victims of crime, for 18 months until 4 October 2023.
• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Homes England – Mark Rennison, Vanessa Murden and Sadie Morgan re-appointed to the board until August 2025.
• Northern Ireland Office: Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission – Justin Kouame appointed as commissioner for three years from 1 September.
• Department for Transport: NATS – Greg Bagwell and David Smith appointed as non-executive partnership directors to the board for three years.
• Department for Work and Pensions – Dominic Harris appointed as the pensions ombudsman from 16 January 2023. Health and Safety Executive – Chyrel Brown and David Coats appointed as non-executive directors to the board. Industrial Injuries Advisory Council – Dr Lesley Rushton OBE re-appointed as chair for two years from 1 April 2023.

Houses of Parliament

House of Lords

• Bishop of Blackburn (non-affiliated) retired on 31 August.
• Lord Darroch of Kew (crossbench, life peer) granted a leave of absence from 1 September.

Devolved administrations

Scottish Government

• James Mollison appointed as judicial complaints reviewer.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Historic Buildings Council – Kyle Leyden, Dr Donal McAnallen, Liam McKinley, Dr Wills McNeilly and Carol Ramsey appointed as members until 30 June 2025.
• Historic Monuments Council – Dr Liam Campbell, Alice Devlin, Dr Patrick Gleeson, Ciaran Lavelle, Niall McCaughan and Dr Cormac McSparron appointed as members until 30 June 2027.

Local authorities

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• Bury Council – Geoff Little to retire as chief executive next year.
• Wyre Council – Garry Payne to stand down as chief executive in March 2023.

Industry

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Interest groups

• Royal College of Physicians – Dr Rifca Le Dieu appointed as clinical adviser on flexible working.
• University Alliance – Professor Debra Humphris re-elected as chair for one year; Professor Jane Harrington elected as deputy chair; Professor Nic Beech elected as treasurer.

York Museums Trust – Kathryn Blacker appointed as chief executive from January 2023.

Trade associations

• Scotland Food and Drink – Iain Baxter appointed as chief executive from 31 October.