PRESS RELEASE : Northern professionals urged to apply for top public sector roles [September 2023]

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.

Professionals in the North of England have been urged to apply for senior public sector roles in a bid to increase the regional diversity of the UK’s top public sector appointments and level up the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, came to Darlington on Thursday 28 September to speak to local professionals about applying for public sector appointments which govern over 300 public institutions in the UK.

There is a wide variety of public appointments, from those at local levels, monitoring the operation of national parks or flood defences, to others that help steer the direction of well-known national institutions like the NHS and some of the country’s largest museums.

Over 50 local professionals signed up to attend the event at the Darlington Economic Campus, in one of the Government’s Places for Growth locations, hosted by the Cabinet Office.

As of September 2023, the Government has nearly 50 public sector appointments available across a range of sectors. The vast majority of these roles can be carried out from anywhere in the UK.

Current roles on offer include: Board Members of Natural England; Non-Executive Directors of Homes England; Members of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales; Non-Executive Director of the Insolvency Service; and Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body.

These appointments are typically part-time, requiring varying time commitments of a few days a year, several days a month or just 2 to 3 days per week.

Speaking at the event, Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

“Public appointees get the chance to improve vital public services, get more involved with their communities, work with a wide range of talented people and make a difference to society. They are extremely rewarding roles and can help accelerate people’s careers.

“People from all backgrounds and areas are essential to govern our public institutions in a way that works for the whole of the UK.

“I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone who attended the event today and would strongly encourage them to consider applying for a public appointment.”

The Minister was joined at the event by Elizabeth Passey, Chair of The Rural Payments Agency, and past Board Member of The National Lottery Community Fund. Elizabeth was appointed as Chair of the Rural Payments Agency by the Government in 2018, and to the Board of the National Lottery Community Fund in 2014. She has a number of years’ experience in the financial services, public, university, conservation, rural charities and leisure sectors.

Also speaking at the event, Elizabeth said:

“I would offer enormous encouragement to anyone considering a role on a Public Board. The wide diversity of the UK is reflected across these entities, and the roles require local, national and, occasionally, international insight coupled with a large dose of common sense.

“These are skills which so many people acquire during their lives and have the potential to share via a public board, but perhaps don’t think to do so. They are hugely inspiring roles with the potential to help the many many lives which these entities serve. I would encourage anyone to consider what they can offer.”

This event is the first in a series of events to encourage local professionals to apply for public appointments. Subsequent events are planned in Exeter and Edinburgh.