06 January 2006
Leading lights from across the public sector were recognised for their hard work last week in the New Years Honours list.
Simon Milton, the high-profile leader of Westminster City Council, was knighted for his services to local government. He said: 'Although I am personally very proud to have received this honour, credit must also go to the staff and members of Westminster City Council, whose outstanding contributions have helped us to become a leading local authority in the country.'
Hazel Harding, leader of Lancashire County Council was made a CBE. There were also CBEs for Christine Gilbert, chief executive of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and Phil Watson, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.
CIPFA member John Lindsay, chief executive of East Lothian Council, received an OBE. Joyce Dobson, leader of Boston Borough Council, and Robert Gibson, the former leader of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, also received OBEs.
Brian Kerr, former chair of the National Association of Local Councils, the representative body of parish and town councils, received an OBE. Kerr said he was 'absolutely delighted' to have received the award.
In Whitehall there were the usual gongs for senior civil servants, including knighthoods for David Varney, chair of Revenue & Customs; Suma Chakrabarti, permanent secretary at the Department for International Development; and Ian Magee, former second permanent secretary at the Department for Constitutional Affairs.
Richard Douglas, finance director at the Department of Health and a CIPFA member, was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. There was a further honour for Sir Richard Mottram, the Cabinet Office's security and intelligence co-ordinator, who was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
Frontline public servants were not forgotten. Anna Hassan, head teacher at Millfields Community School in Hackney, received a damehood and there was a CBE for Judette Tapper, head of Stockwell Park High School in Lambeth.
In the voluntary sector, there was a knighthood for Barnardo's former chief executive Roger Singleton, and a CBE for Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern.
PFjan2006
