Story tools

Print this article

Email to a friend

Your feedback

London Councils has today announced the appointment of Dr Dick Sorabji as its new Corporate Director of Policy and Public Affairs, and Nick Lester as its new Corporate Director of Services.

Both will take up their new posts in April following a major review of London Councils led by its chief executive, John O’Brien.

Dr Sorabji, currently Deputy Director of think-tank The New Local Government Network, will be tasked with bringing together London Councils’ policy and public affairs functions to lead debate and innovation in London’s local government and public services.

Nick Lester, currently Director of Transport, Environment and Planning at London Councils, will bring together the direct services run by London Councils, including transport and housing services. He will also oversee the distribution of £28 million of grants to over 400 of the capital’s voluntary organisations.

Welcoming the new appointments, London Councils’ Chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell said:

“These appointments underline London Councils’ ambition both to lead and shape the debate on the future of public services in the capital, while also delivering excellent services ourselves. Dick Sorabji’s experience and commitment to localism will help us shape the debate on the future of London’s public services, and Nick Lester has an excellent track record in delivering and innovating services for Londoners and their local councils.”

Dr Dick Sorabji said:

"I am delighted to have been offered this post at London Councils. London is the pre-eminent world city and it is my home. London's councils are consistently at the top of national rankings for quality, improvement and public satisfaction.

“I am looking forward to working with London's leading councillors as they build on excellence and demonstrate that the solutions to the problems people care about are most successful when they are designed locally. Across a range of vital concerns it is local leaders who are making the running. I want to support their work and I am eager to get started."

Nick Lester said:

“London’s local authorities have regularly provided their residents with value-for-money services and London Councils is no different. We provide value and excellence from all our services - from the country’s most generous concessionary fares scheme, the Freedom Pass, through to the user-focussed justice body, the Parking and Traffic Appeals service.

“Enhancing the quality of life for Londoners will be the guiding principle in the delivery of all our direct services – from parking appeals through to our £28 million grants scheme. I look forward to the challenge of achieving this while ensuring close co-ordination with London Councils’ policy priorities.”