14 March 2003
Local Government Association economic and environmental policy director Neil Kinghan is crossing back into central government to become director general for local and regional government at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. He replaces Philip Wood, who is retiring.
He is the second senior LGA figure to leave in the past two weeks. Education programme manager Neil Fletcher quit with a few months of his five-year contract to run.
Kinghan joined the LGA as director of local government finance on its formation in 1997, moving to his present job in 2000.
Before that he spent 22 years in the former Department of the Environment, where his jobs included director of housing policy and later of local government finance policy.
LGA chief executive Sir Brian Briscoe told Public Finance: 'Neil's new job is a great accolade for the LGA. It will be good to have him there across the road.'
He added that he expected to advertise the post shortly.
Meanwhile, Fletcher is seeking another senior education post, and said he reached an amicable agreement to leave.
But his departure led to concerns that the LGA no longer has the senior expertise needed to support education authorities at a time of upheaval.
Sarah Caton, assistant director of ConfEd, the body which represents education service managers, said: 'Education is the largest strategic service for local authorities. It is very important that the LGA is able to provide an appropriate level of expertise and leadership. I'm confident that they will.'
The association last year moved from having senior managers responsible for policy areas to the 'cross-cutting' project management model, with policy heads on a lower management tier.
Briscoe said it was 'nonsense' to believe that the departure of Fletcher and most of his 15-strong team had led to a loss of education expertise at a crucial time.
'Most serious expertise is in member authorities,' he said. 'It is better to get people at the height of their profession rather than to get someone in here for five years. Managing policy does not need a chief officer level appointment.'
Briscoe said the LGA would secure specialist advice through secondments of senior officers for two days a week.
PFmar2003
