New Permanent Secretary for Department for Transport
Lin Homer to be the new Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport.
The Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service Sir Gus O’Donnell is pleased to announce the appointment of Lin Homer as the new Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport.
Lin, who is currently Chief Executive at the UK Border Agency, was chosen following an open competition. This follows Robert Devereux’s move to become Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions. The appointment has been approved by the Prime Minister and by the Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond.
Lin will take up post in January.
Sir Gus O’Donnell, said:
I am delighted that Lin has been appointed as the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport. She brings a wealth of leadership experience in some of the country’s most important public service delivery bodies - most recently at the UK Border Agency, and previously as Chief Executive of Britain’s largest local authority in Birmingham where her responsibilities included highways, public transport and airports.
I would like to thank Robert Devereux for his successful leadership of the department, including through the recent Spending Review, and congratulate him on his appointment to be Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions.
Commenting on her new role, Lin Homer said:
I am very excited to be taking on this role at such an important time for transport and joining the many excellent professionals in government and wider who help design and run our transport system. The department has to contribute to the country’s economic growth and also help to promote quality of life and the green agenda. As the last few days have shown, it has got to be able to focus on keeping the country moving at times of severe weather, whilst planning the transport system for the next few decades. I hope to be able to add my experience to that agenda.
Philip Hammond said:
I welcome Lin Homer to her new post and I look forward to working with her in addressing the challenges ahead. Robert Devereux has led the department through the Spending Review and has started the restructuring process that Lin will now complete over the next few months. This will leave the Department well positioned to support economic growth and carbon reduction in a world of reduced public expenditure.
Further information
Lin Homer: Lin’s previous position was as Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, a post she held since 2005. The agency has a staff of around 23,000 and a budget of some £2 billion per annum. From 2002 - 05 Lin was Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council, the largest Local Authority in the UK, where she led some 57,000 direct employees and had responsibility for highways, public transport and airports.
Prior to this Lin started out as a Solicitor at Reading County Council moving on to become Deputy Chief Executive at Hertfordshire County Council and then Chief Executive at Suffolk County Council.
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