A senior London councillor, Shireen Ritchie, has been selected to head the LGA board that will lead local government’s response to the Baby P scandal.
Cllr Ritchie, a Conservative member of Kensington and Chelsea RBC, has been appointed as the new chair of Smith Square’s children and young people board, making her the lead for the LGA’s children’s team.
Kensington and Chelsea RBC is viewed as a leading council on children’s care – the authority’s director of families and children, Anne Marie Carrie, was drafted in to advise troubled Haringey LBC in the wake of the Baby P case.
A senior source at the LGA told The MJ Cllr Ritchie was viewed as ‘an eminently capable individual with wide-ranging knowledge of the crucial children’s services patch and the energy to lead any required change’.
Cllr Ritchie takes over as board chair from Birmingham City Council’s Les Lawrence, who will now chair the safer communities board.
Smith Square announced its updated list of board chairmen on Monday.
District Councils Network chairman, Gary Porter, will chair the LGA’s environment board, replacing Bracknell Forest Council’s Paul Bettison, who will now chair the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACoRS). Leicestershire CC’s David Parsons will continue to chair the improvement board, while Hertfordshire CC’s Chris White remains as chair of the culture, tourism and sport board.
East Sussex CC’s David Rogers stays on as chair of the community wellbeing board, while Dudley MBC’s David Sparks will continue to lead on regeneration and transport.
Cllr David Shakespeare, LGA Conservative Group leader, said: ‘Our most senior appointments encompass every tier of local government, thus ensuring that the voices of counties, metropolitans, districts, London boroughs and unitaries are all heard.’
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