16.06.15
Lord Kerslake named president elect of LGA
Lord Kerslake has been announced as president elect of the Local Government Association (LGA).
The crossbench peer and former permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was knighted in 2005 for services to local government and was made a Lord in March this year.
In addition to serving at the DCLG from 2010-2015 he was also the head of the Civil Service from January 2012 until September 2014.
Prior to joining Whitehall he served as chief executive of the London Borough of Hounslow before becoming chief executive of Sheffield City Council.
In December 2014 he was appointed as the chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to begin in June 2015.
Lord Kerslake said: “I am hugely passionate about local government and look forward to working with the LGA to speak up for councils in both Houses of Parliament, in particular to advocate devolution as a way to promote economic growth and improve public services.”
He will replace Lord Best who is standing down as LGA president after 10 years in the role.
Lord Best said: “It has been an honour to serve as LGA president. Over the past decade, the LGA has gone from strength to strength and I am sure it will continue to effectively represent councils on the big issues and challenges that lie ahead for them and their communities.”
The outgoing chair of the LGA, David Sparks, thanked Lord Best for being a “strong advocate” for local government for the past decade.
“I know that Lord Kerslake is also strong champion of local government and will bring with him a wealth of experience and a strong understanding of Whitehall to the role of LGA president,” he added.
PSE previously reported that Gary Porter, the leader of South Holland District Council, is to replace Sparks as chair on 30 June after facing no opposition for the role.
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