Bob Kerslake

Robert Walker Kerslake, Baron Kerslake (born 28 February 1955),^[1] known as Bob Kerslake, is a British senior civil servant. He was the Head of the Home Civil Service, after the retirement of the former holder, the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell until the 2014 Cabinet Reshuffle on 15 July 2014.

He continued to be Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government.^[2] In December 2014 he was appointed as the Chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to begin in June 2015.^[3] He was introduced as a Crossbench life peer in the House of Lords on 19 March 2015.

Career

Kerslake is originally from Bath and retains a marked West Country accent. He graduated with a first class degree in Mathematics from the University of Warwick, where he was also secretary of the students' union.^[4]

He qualified as a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and went on to hold a number of posts with councils in London before becoming Chief Executive of the London Borough of Hounslow. He then moved to Sheffield to take up the post of Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council in 1997. From 2008-10 he was Chief Executive of the Homes and Communities Agency; and in September 2010 Kerslake was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department for Communities and Local Government.^[5] In December 2014 he was appointed as the Chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to begin in June 2015.^[3]

Honours and styles of address

Honours

• In 2003, Kerslake was named in a The Guardian list of the 100 most influential people in the public sector.^[6]
• In 2004, he received an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University for his "distinctive contribution to public service".^[7]
• In the 2005 New Year Honours, he was knighted "for services to Local Government".^[8][9][10]
• In 2012, he became an honorary graduate (Doctor of Law) of the University of Warwick.^[4]
• In 2015, he was made a life peer taking the title Baron Kerslake, of Endcliffe in the City of Sheffield.^[11][12]

Styles of address

• 1955-2005: Mr Bob Kerslake
• 2005-2015: Sir Bob Kerslake
• 2015-: The Right Honourable The Lord Kerslake

References

1. "Birthdays", The Guardian, p. 33
2. Sir Bob Kerslake is new Civil Service boss, BBC News
3. Kerslake wins top NHS job, lgcplus.com; accessed 11 June 2015.
4. "Summer 2012 Honorary Graduates (full list)". University of Warwick. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
5. Profile, communities.gov.uk; accessed 11 June 2015.
6. The innovators, The Guardian, 10 September 2003. Retrieved 28 May 2010
7. Honorary awards - archive Archived 23 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine., SHU. Retrieved 28 May 2010
8. Council chief receives knighthood, BBC News, 31 December 2004. Retrieved 28 May 2010
9. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57509. p. 1. 31 December 2004. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
10. The London Gazette: no. 57737. p. 10898. 23 August 2005.
11. "Peerage for Sir Bob Kerslake". Press release. Prime Minister's Office. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
12. The London Gazette: no. 61177. p. 5242. 23 March 2015.

External links

• Kerslake's blog as Head of Civil Service
• Boom or Bust: The way forward & challenges facing the HCA featuring Sir Bob Kerslake Chief executive of Homes and Communities agency (video)
• DCLG website page about current Permanent Secretary/