Eight years ago, the TaxPayers’ Alliance reported that “in the last year, five times more Labour people were appointed to public bodies than Tories”.

It currently reports that almost half of avowedly political appointees last year owed their allegiance to Labour Party, compared to less than a third for the Conservatives.

Despite the selection of some Party members or supporters to fill important posts, over time, the Conservatives have punched beneath their weight when it comes to public appointments. One of the reasons seems to be that Tories simply don’t apply in the same number as Labour supporters.

To help remedy this, each week we put up links to some of the main public appointments vacancies, so that qualified Conservatives can be aware of the opportunities presented.

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Defence Business Services – Non-Executive Director

“The DBS Board provides strategic direction and holds the DBS executive to account on behalf of the MoD Chief Operating Officer for the efficient and effective delivery of its strategic objectives. It provides an important oversight and assurance role, ensuring that an effective framework for corporate governance is in place within DBS, as well as playing a critical role in supporting and endorsing the development of annual and corporate plans and significant business cases… The Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) will be accountable to the DBS Board Chair, who will conduct annual effectiveness reviews of NED performance. NEDs will be expected to provide support to the Board Chair by challenging and holding the DBS executive team to account in delivering against Corporate Plan and Business Objectives.”

Time: Up to 20 days per annum.

Remuneration: GBP10,000 per annum.

Closes: 10 February

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The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) – Chair

“The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It was established under the Local Government Act 2003 to provide administrative support, procedural advice and central direction to the Valuation Tribunal for England. It has a strong corporate identity and clearly delegated powers and responsibilities. The VTS employs around 70 staff and is able to encourage the spread of best practice across the organisation, leading to better public service delivery. To support the Valuation Tribunal for England (VTE) in the administration of a fair, efficient and accessible system to deal with appeals against council tax and business rates valuation. This will be done by providing guidance and supporting the recruitment, induction and integration of new members.”

Time: 24 days per annum.

Remuneration: GBP8,839 per annum.

Closes: 11 February

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British Pharmacopoeia Commission – Chair

“The British Pharmacopoeia Commission was established in 1970 under Section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968 (superseded by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012). It is an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care. As such, it has no staff but is supported by a Secretariat from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It has strong links with the wider MHRA, the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control, the pharmaceutical industry and academia. The key role of the BPC is the preparation of the annual editions of the British Pharmacopoeia (BP), which is widely recognised as one of the leading global pharmacopoeias. The publicly available and legally enforceable pharmacopoeial standards are designed to complement and assist the licensing and inspection processes and are part of the system for safeguarding purchasers and users of medicinal products.”

Time: 11 days per annum approx.

Remuneration: GBP500 per meeting.

Closes: 23 February

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Civil Aviation Authority – Non-Executive Director

“The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is a public corporation and the UK’s specialist independent aviation regulator. The CAA has specific responsibilities for aviation safety, security, management of UK airspace, economic regulation of some airports and air traffic control, enforcement of consumer protection rules, and the management of the ATOL financial protection scheme for holidaymakers. The Secretary of State for Transport is seeking to appoint three Non Executive Directors to join the Board of the CAA. We are looking for outstanding individuals who can participate in setting the direction of a key transport regulator as the aviation sector recovers from the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, and additional responsibilities as the UK leaves the European Aviation Safety Agency, and shaping the real-world experience of the multiple stakeholders the CAA serves.”

Time: 60 days per annum.

Remuneration: GBP25,000 per annum, plus GBP430 per diem for additional duties.

Closes: 25 February

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Historic Royal Palaces – Trustee

“Historic Royal Palaces has a fundamental charitable commitment to help everyone learn about the palaces in their care and the stories that they hold. It shares its work with the public on-site, off-site and on-line, and in many ways – for example through public programming, formal and informal education programmes, outreach activity and as an Independent Research Organisation. We work in partnership with schools, arts and theatre groups, community organisations and many more. We are award-winning and regarded as internationally-leading in the heritage sector, and we want to build further on this record of achievement.”

Time: One day per month approx.

Remuneration: Expenses.

Closes: 25 February

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BEIS – Director of Labour Market Enforcement

“The Director of Labour Market Enforcement was created by the Immigration Act 2016 as part of the Government’s reforms to strengthen efforts to tackle non-compliance in the labour market. The role is now well established, with the post holders having published two full strategies and two annual reports. The most recent interim Director was the second person to hold this role. The Director is responsible for producing an annual labour market enforcement strategy, which provides an assessment of the scale and nature of non-compliance in the labour market and sets out, in a single strategy, the strategic direction for the three existing labour market enforcement bodies – the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, and HMRC’s National Minimum Wage Team.”

Time: 1-2 days per month approx.

Remuneration: GBP100,000 – GBP130,000 per annum FTE.

Closes: 28 February

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UK Research and Innovation – Chair

“The Chair of UKRI will play an integral role in guiding this young organisation along its path to corporate maturity. The Chair will work with the CEO, the Board and the Executive Chairs of UKRI’s nine Councils, leading UKRI in pursuit of its objectives, ensuring its success, and the UK’s continued leadership globally on research and innovation. The Chair acts as custodian for UKRI’s mission and objectives and is responsible for overall direction and management of UKRI, ensuring that the Board takes an effective governance role… We are looking for an outstanding individual with a passion for and knowledge of research and innovation to become Chair of UKRI. Applications are sought from candidates who are able to command the confidence of the academic, business, higher education and policy communities, promote effective stakeholder engagement, guide and challenge the development of UKRI’s organisational approach, ensure the organisation is realising the full benefits of reform and drive increased value for money and impact from research and innovation investments.”

Time: 1 day per week approx.

Remuneration: GBP29,000 per annum.

Closes: 03 March

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Intellectual Property Office – Chair of Steering Board

“IPO is the official UK Government body responsible for Intellectual Property (IP) rights including patents, designs, trademarks and copyright. They operate and maintain a clear and accessible intellectual property system in the UK, which encourages innovation and helps the economy and society to benefit from knowledge and ideas. IPO helps people get the right type of protection for their creation or invention, and responsible for policy, educating businesses and consumers about IP rights and responsibilities, supporting IP enforcement, granting UK patents, trademarks and design rights. The Chair should: lead the Steering Board so that it plays its full role as part of the overall governance arrangements for the agency as laid down in the framework agreement; run Steering Board meetings effectively and efficiently; manage relationships and communications with Steering Board members…”

Time: 22 days per annum.

Remuneration: GBP12,000 per annum.

Closes: 14 March

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