Four years ago, the TaxPayers’ Alliance reported that “in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories”.
Since then, the figures have varied, and some Conservative members or supporters have been selected to fill important posts.
Nonetheless, it remains the case that, since it took office in 2010, our Party has punched beneath its weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply don’t apply in the same number as Labour supporters.
To help remedy this, every fortnight we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives might be aware of the opportunities presented.
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The Office for Students – Chief Executive
“The Chief Executive is a full time executive role at the forefront of the Government’s Higher Education reform agenda. The Chief Executive will both lead the creation of the OfS in the run up to its legal establishment in April 2018, and lead the operational work of the OfS in its first years of existence. This role will be integral to the success of this new organisation, having responsibility for a multi-faceted organisation with a substantial budget.”
Time: Full time.
Remuneration: £200,000 per annum, plus benefits.
Closes: 13 February
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UK Sport – Chair
“The Chair will lead UK Sport during a time of increased competitive and economic challenges, when the organisation looks to deliver its ambitious high performance strategy through to Tokyo 2020. They will have a passion and commitment to delivering UK sporting success on the world stage. They will also have a strong understanding of non-executive leadership, delivering results within a performance-focussed organisation. The Chair will demonstrate a strategic and collegiate approach to objective setting and decision taking with the ability to facilitate focussed and relevant discussions.”
Time: Two days per week on average.
Remuneration: £40,000 per annum.
Closes: 03 March
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Port of Tyne – Chair
“The Port of Tyne are inviting applications to become the next Chair and succeed the incumbent, who steps down at the end of June 2017. The new Chair will provide the strong leadership needed to lead and develop a cohesive, dynamic and effective Board, the majority of which comprises non-executive directors with a variety of backgrounds including those drawn from the North East region and maritime related industries. The Board supports and challenges the executive team in meeting the Port of Tyne’s role as a strategically important international gateway, ensures the continuing commercial success of the Port while contributing to the local economy, and sustains the highest standards of safety and security for the benefit of Port customers and users.”
Time: One day per week.
Remuneration: £52,000 per annum.
Closes: 10 March
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Met Office – Chair
“The Met Office Chair is appointed by the Secretary of State for BEIS, and will be responsible for advising the Minister on the organisation’s overall direction and performance. The role of Chair is pivotal and demands effective strategic leadership of the Board and the ability to speak on its behalf. The Chair will work closely with the full-time Chief Executive, who is also the Met Office’s Accounting Officer… The Secretary of State is seeking applications from individuals with top-level strategic experience commensurate with the responsibilities and the challenges of the Met Office. Applicants are invited from both public and commercial settings.”
Time: 36 days per annum.
Remuneration: £35,000 per annum plus ‘reasonable expenses’.
Closes: 13 March
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Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy – Small Business Commissioner
“We are seeking to appoint the UK’s first Small Business Commissioner. This is a new statutory role covering the UK and established under provisions within the Enterprise Act 2016. The Small Business Commissioner will enable small businesses to resolve payment disputes with their larger customers and avoid future issues by encouraging a culture change in how businesses deal with each other. They will provide general advice and guidance to small businesses to prevent disputes occurring in the first place, direct them to existing support and help them resolve their complaints about payment issues.”
Time: Full-time.
Remuneration: £120,000-£130,000 per annum.
Closes: 13 March
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College of Policing – Chair
“Together with the College Board of Directors, the Chair will set the College’s strategic direction and aims against budgets and priorities. They will provide the College Chief Executive and their Executive team with the necessary leadership, challenge and support to enable the College to meet its goals. The Chair and Board hold the Executive to account to ensure that the College meets all of its statutory responsibilities and financial imperatives. The College is still in its early stages of development, so the Chair will play a leading role in shaping the organisations values and culture as it builds the profession of policing and wins the confidence of the public, its members, policing and Parliament.”
Time: 4-6 days per month.
Remuneration: £135,000 pro rata.
Closes: 13 March
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Independent Office for Police Conduct – Director General
“The role of the Director General is to ensure that the IOPC delivers on the following 3 functions: to independently investigate serious and sensitive cases where police misconduct is alleged or where someone has died or sustained serious injury; to act as an appellate body for members of the public whose complaints, if proven, could result in charges of misconduct or criminality,[and] to ensure public confidence in the police complaints system as a whole… This is a demanding and high profile role which demands strong leadership skills proven in a complex environment with multiple and diverse stakeholders. There is no prescribed background for the Director General and you do not need experience in the criminal justice system but candidates will need to demonstrate a broad understanding of the IOPC remit and policing.”
Time: Full time.
Remuneration: £140,000-160,000 per annum.
Closes: 13 March
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UK Research & Innovation – Board Members
“The UKRI Board will be expected to support the set-up of the organisation, providing clear strategic direction and oversight, promoting the importance of UK Research and Innovation and supporting the senior leadership team of the organisation to embed new ways of working across UKRI… As well as the above requirements which would be expected for all UKRI Board Members, there are specific roles on the Board that will require additional expertise, and a larger time commitment to UKRI.”
Time: 20 days per annum.
Remuneration: £9,180 per annum, plus £459 per diem for extra days.
Closes: 31 March