6 September 2010
Sir Bob Kerslake, the chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency, has been appointed permanent secretary at the Department for Communities andLocal Government.
The appointment, confirmed today, follows the departure of Sir Peter Housden in June to become permanent secretary to the Scottish Government. Irene Lucas has been acting permanent secretary since then and Kerslake will take over on November 1.
Kerslake was the HCA’s first chief executive in March 2008. He was previously chief executive of Sheffield City Council.
Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, said: ‘I am delighted Bob has been appointed as the new permanent secretary at Communities and Local Government. He will bring a wealth of experience and credibility to the role, driving forward the new government's agenda for devolution of power and autonomy to local councils and neighbourhoods.’
Kerslake said he was ‘honoured and excited by the opportunity to manage a major government department’ and looked forward to developing the government’s localism policies.
HCA chair Robert Napier said: ‘While I am sorry to lose Bob, I would like to congratulate him on his appointment… [it] is a reflection of his outstanding skills and of the HCA’s track record of delivery.
‘Looking forward, we have a continuing and evolving role, as well as a business to run as usual, and over the coming months we will continue to deliver against our current programmes while we shape our new way for doing business.’
