Latest civil service & public affairs moves – 9 March

UK government

• Prime Minister's Office – Neelam Dharni Devesher appointed as His Majesty’s lord-lieutenant of the County of Surrey from 3 September, on the retirement of Michael More-Molyneux.
• Department for Business and Trade: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service – Baroness Jones of Whitchurch appointed as chair from 1 April, succeeding Clare Chapman. Competition and Markets Authority – Doug Gurr appointed as chair for five years from 27 February. Fair Work Agency – Lisa Pinney appointed as chief executive from April.
• Cabinet Office – Josh Simons resigned as parliamentary secretary on 28 February; James Frith appointed as parliamentary secretary on 3 March. Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent appointed as parliamentary secretary (she will remain as Baroness in waiting (government whip)). Harriet Aldridge appointed as chief operating officer. Janet Hughes to stand down as director general for reform and efficiency.
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Science Museum Group – Professor Stephen Belcher and Tim Dugher re-appointed as trustees for four years from 1 June until 31 May 2030.
• Department for Education: Independent Review into Antisemitic Incidents in England's Schools and Colleges – Sir David Bell appointed to lead the review.
• Department for Energy Security and Net Zero – Jonathan Brearley appointed as permanent secretary. Committee on Fuel Poverty – Ross Armstrong and Professor Richard Fitton appointed as members for three years, succeeding Liz Bissett and Anu Singh. Mining Remediation Authority – Jeff Halliwell re-appointed as chair for three years from 1 April 2027 until 31 March 2030; Kate Denham re-appointed as non-executive director for five years from 1 April 2027 until 31 March 2032.
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Marine Management Organisation – Elysia McCaffrey appointed as chief executive from 1 April. Rural Payments Agency – Alison White appointed as non-executive chair of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee for three years from 1 March; Stephen Briggs, David Brooks, Sarah Calcutt and Paul Savage appointed as non-executive directors for three years from 1 March.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Duncan Norman appointed as His Majesty’s ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan from May, succeeding Fergus Auld.
• Department of Health and Social Care – Ashley Dalton resigned as parliamentary under-secretary of state for public health and prevention on 2 March; Sharon Hodgson appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state on 3 March. Liz Chinchen appointed as senior adviser to secretary of state for health and social care from 5 March.
• Home Office: Independent Review of Police Force Structures – Lord Hogan-Howe appointed to lead the review.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Homes England – Caroline Patterson appointed as chief financial officer from June.
• Ministry of Justice: Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service – Jenny Coles appointed as member from 1 March until 28 February 2030; Natalie Trentham appointed as member from 14 May until 13 May 2030. Parole Board – Beckie Agami re-appointed a psychologist member for five years until 31 January 2031. Law Officers – Ellie Reeves sworn in as King’s Counsel in her role as solicitor general on 2 February.
• Northern Ireland Office: Equality Commission for Northern Ireland – Neil Anderson’s term as deputy chief commissioner extended for six months until 31 August; Colin Kennedy appointed as deputy chief commissioner for three years from 1 September; Lisa Caldwell and Stephen Mathews re-appointed as commissioners for three years from 1 March; Kevin Doherty appointed as commissioner for three years from 5 March; Kristel Miller appointed as commissioners for three years from 1 September.
• Department for Science, Innovation and Technology – Josh Simons resigned as parliamentary under-secretary of state on 28 February; James Frith appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state on 3 February.
• Department for Transport: Marine Accident Investigation Branch – Rob Loder appointed as chief inspector, succeeding Andrew Moll.
• HM Treasury: Bank of England – Katharine Braddick appointed as deputy governor for Prudential Regulation and chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority from June, succeeding Sam Woods.

Houses of Parliament

House of Commons

• Joani Reid, MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, suspended by the Labour Party on 5 March.
• Rashik Parmar to be appointed as electoral commissioner from 31 March until 30 March 2030.
• Tom Goldsmith to stand down as clerk of the house at the end of October.

House of Lords

• Lord Turnberg (Labour) retired from the Lords on 1 March.
• Lord Dykes (Crossbench) retired from the Lords on 2 March.
• The Bishop of Guildford died on 3 March.
• Lord Docherty of Milngavie suspended by Labour on 28 February, now sits as non-affiliated.

Committees

• Lord Hogan-Howe, Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede be appointed as deputy chairmen of committees.
• Domestic Abuse Act 2021 – Baroness Neate added; Baroness Barker discharged.
• Joint Committee on Human Rights – Baroness Hamwee added.

Devolved administrations

Scottish Parliament

• Laura Young’s appointment as board member of Environmental Standards Scotland approved.

Scottish Government

• Consumer Scotland Board – Jane Hutchison and Marion Mcdonald appointed as members for three years until 2 February 2029.
• Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland – Rachel Birch, Kate Samuels and Simon Whyte appointed as members for four years until 15 February 2030; Diana Winfield and Andrew Witty appointed as members for four years from 1 April until 31 March 2030.

Welsh Parliament

• Catherine Mealing-Jones’ appointment as auditor general for Wales for eight years approved, succeeding Adrian Crompton.

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Economy Committee – Declan Kearney added; Jemma Dolan discharged.
• Education Committee – Peter Martin added; Gary Middleton discharged.
• Public Accounts Committee – Jemma Dolan and Gareth Wilson added; Pádraig Delargy discharged.
• Standards and Privileges Committee – Keith Buchanan and Trevor Clarke added; Harry Harvey and Brian Kingston discharged.
• Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee – Pádraig Delargy added; Declan Kearney discharged.

Northern Ireland Executive

• Northern Health and Social Care Trust – Michael Keating appointed as non-executive director until 31 January 2030.
• NI Judicial Appointments Commission – Mark Mitchell and Deirdre Toner appointed as lay members until 24 February 2030.

Local authorities

Councils

• Slough Borough Council – Dame Mary Ney appointed as lead reviewer; Will Godfrey appointed as supporting reviewer.
• Spelthorne Borough Council – Gordon Mitchell appointed as interim chief executive from 2 March.

Discover Dods People: Your ultimate stakeholder management solution. Dods People is a comprehensive online service that provides unparalleled access to political representatives and public affairs professionals across the UK and EU. Book your demo now to explore the power of Dods People