7 September 2010
The government has announced
plans to put more private sector representatives on the board of the Audit
Commission as the regulator prepares to transfer out of public ownership.
Local government minister
Bob Neill said this morning that an advert will ‘shortly’ be posted on the
government’s publicappointments website.
The number of commissions to be recruited has not been confirmed, but three board members, Denise Platt, Raj Rajagopal, and Jenny Watson, finished their terms in August.
Neill hopes private sector candidates will compete for the positions, and that the new expertise will help the commission focus on its ‘new challenges’, which could involve transforming into a mutual.
The minister also confirmed that deputy chair Bharat Shah and Lord Adebowale, chief executive of the social care charity Turning Point, will be reappointed to the board, and will serve until the end of 2012.
He expressed his pleasure at the re-appointments, and said: ‘This department will be working closely with the Audit Commission, the accountancy profession and the local government and health sectors to develop the detailed design of the new systems.
‘I would like to thank all departing commissioners for their contributions to the Audit Commission’s work.’
The Audit Commission will be disbanded by the end of 2012, and in future councils will be free to buy in their external audits from the open market.
It emerged yesterday that a possible employee buy-out for the commission’s audit function is to be overseen by its current local government chief, Gareth Davies.
