01 August 2003
The Local Government Association's search for a successor to Neil Kinghan has ended with the appointment of Sarah Wood this week.
Wood, the director of resources at Birmingham City Council, will take over as the LGA's director of economic and environmental policy in the autumn.
The post fell vacant in April when Kinghan left to become director general of local and regional government at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Wood's appointment will be a relief to the LGA, which has suffered setbacks in its search for Kinghan's replacement.
The post was previously offered to Adam Sharples, director of public services at the Treasury, but he turned it down to take up a post at the Inland Revenue.
LGA chief executive Sir Brian Briscoe said he was 'delighted' that Wood, who was vice-chair of the Byatt review of procurement, would be joining the organisation.
'She has a wealth of experience in local government and her involvement in central government should give her a head start in her new job.'
Wood said she was joining the LGA at an important time, with the balance of funding review under way and the Spending Review due next year. 'There is a lot of crucial lobbying work to be done,' she added.
Her appointment came shortly after the Improvement and Development Agency announced that senior Treasury mandarin Lucy de Groot is to be its new executive director. De Groot, currently the Exchequer's director of public services, is taking over from Steve Bundred, who is leaving to become chief executive of the Audit Commission.
When she takes the helm at the IDA in September, de Groot will spearhead efforts to achieve improvements from within local government. 'As a strong believer in self-improvement in local government and achieving high standards, I am committed to improving public services and local democracy,' she said.
In her role at the Treasury, de Groot leads five spending teams, covering areas such as local government, regional policy, housing and regeneration.
Before going to work in Whitehall, de Groot was an associate director at the Audit Commission's Best Value inspectorate, and was chief executive of Bristol City Council from 1995 to 2000.
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