Press release: UK Statistics Authority non-executive board member appointment: Helen Boaden

Helen Boaden

Helen Boaden has spent much of her career at the BBC, where she joined as a reporter in local radio and ended as the BBC Executive Board as its Director of Radio. In her role as Director of BBC Radio, Ms Boaden was responsible for the strategic performance and operational delivery of all ten BBC Network Radio Stations on air, online and through social media. Since leaving the BBC, she has pursued her interest in the intersection between press, politics and public policy, at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard. She also sits as a non-executive on several Boards.

Helen has been appointed by the Minister for the Cabinet Office under the provisions of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007, for a period of three years, from 1 June 2019 until 31 May 2022.

Minister for the Constitution, Kevin Foster, said:

I am delighted to welcome Helen to the UK Statistics Authority Board.

Helen will be a valuable addition to the UK Statistics Authority Board, particularly in overseeing the delivery of effective communications ahead of the 2021 Census, and in improving the communication of official statistics more broadly.

Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, Sir David Norgrove, said:

I am delighted to welcome Helen Boaden as a non-executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board. Helen brings with her a wealth of professional experience in communications and journalism, which will be invaluable to us all at the UK Statistics Authority. I am very much looking forward to working with Helen.

Helen said:

The independence and professionalism of the Statistics Authority and ONS are admired around the world and their work is vital to the health of our democracy. I am delighted and honoured to be appointed to the Board and look forward to helping with the challenges ahead.

Further information

The UK Statistics Authority’s statutory objective is to promote and safeguard the production and publication of official statistics that serve the public good. It is also required to promote and safeguard the quality and comprehensiveness of official statistics, and ensure good practice in relation to official statistics.

The authority’s functions relate to its statutory areas of responsibility including:

  • oversight of the UK official statistics system, which includes around 30 central government departments and the devolved administrations, and the promotion, safeguarding and monitoring of quality, comprehensiveness and good practice in relation to all official statistics, wherever produced;
  • production of a code of practice for statistics and assessment of official statistics against the code; and
  • governance of the Office for National Statistics, the UK’s national statistical institute and the largest producer of official statistics.


Press release: Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Nepal – November 2019

Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Nepal – November 2019 – GOV.UK

Ms Nicola Pollitt has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Ms Nicola Pollitt has been appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Ms Nicola Pollitt has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Ms Nicola Pollitt has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal in succession to Mr Richard Morris who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Ms Pollitt will take up her appointment during November 2019.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Nicola Kathryn Pollitt

Husband: Mark Perrin

Children: One daughter and one son

2017 to present FCO, Additional Director, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate
2016 to 2017 FCO, Somalia Conference Coordinator
2014 to 2016 No.10, Assistant Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
2013 to 2014 FCO, Deputy Head, Crisis Management Department
2011 to 2013 Cabinet Office, Senior Policy Advisor for Afghanistan, Pakistan and India
2010 to 2011 Kabul, Head, Political Team
2006 to 2009 Oslo, Second Secretary (Political)
2004 to 2006 FCO, Desk Officer for EU Policy on Asia, EU Directorate
2003 to 2004 FCO, Head of Child Abduction Unit, Consular Directorate

Further information

Published 30 May 2019



Press release: Change of British High Commissioner to Seychelles – August 2019

Change of British High Commissioner to Seychelles – August 2019 – GOV.UK

Mr Patrick Lynch has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles.

Mr Patrick Lynch has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles.

Mr Patrick Lynch has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles.

Mr Patrick Lynch has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Seychelles in succession to Ms Caron Röhsler who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Lynch will take up his appointment in August 2019.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: Patrick Martin Lynch

Married to: Katy Lynch

Children: Two

2016 to Present Washington DC, Head of U.S. Office of Hedayah, Intergovernmental Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism
2013 to 2016 Abu Dhabi, Director of Capacity Building Programmes, Hedayah, Intergovernmental Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism
2012 to 2013 Northern Ireland Office, Head of Community Engagement Strategy
2010 to 2012 Northern Ireland Office, Head of Political Affairs Unit
2008 to 2010 British Embassy Kabul, First Secretary (Criminal Justice)
2006 to 2008 Northern Ireland Office, Head of Human Rights and Equality Unit
2003 to 2006 Northern Ireland Office, Policy Officer, Policing Reforms Division
2001 to 2003 Belfast, Mediation Practitioner and Trainer

Further information

Published 30 May 2019



Press release: Change of British High Commissioner to Eswatini during summer 2019

Change of British High Commissioner to Eswatini during summer 2019 – GOV.UK

Mr John Lindfield MBE has been appointed High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Eswatini, as we reopen our resident High Commission in Mbabane.

Mr John Lindfield MBE has been appointed High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Eswatini, as we reopen our resident High Commission in Mbabane.

Mr John Lindfield MBE has been appointed High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Eswatini, as we reopen our resident High Commission in Mbabane.

Mr John Lindfield MBE has been appointed High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Eswatini, as we reopen our resident High Commission in Mbabane. He will succeed the current, non-resident High Commissioner, Mr Nigel Casey CMG MVO, who will remain High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa. Mr Lindfield will take up his appointment during summer 2019.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Full name: John Lindfield

Married to: Judith Lindfield

Children: Two

2015 to present Moscow, Counsellor and Director of International Trade
2010 to 2014 Amsterdam, Consular Regional Director (Northern and Western Europe)
2005 to 2010 New York, Her Majesty’s Consul and Regional Director of Trade (North East U.S.)
2003 to 2005 FCO, Deputy Head, Procurement Strategy Unit
1999 to 2003 San Francisco, Her Majesty’s Consul and Head of Regional Inward Investment Team
1995 to 1999 Cape Town, Her Majesty’s Consul and Head of Trade Section
1989 to 1994 FCO, Senior Internal Auditor

Further information

Published 30 May 2019



News story: UK on verge of revolution to make parking easier and help British high streets

New national parking data standards introduced which could mean the end of outdated parking systems.
  • world-leading project sees new data standards introduced which could revolutionise parking, improving the driver experience
  • data could identify available parking spaces, permitted times and price, in simple formats that apps can use right across the country
  • could mean the end of outdated parking systems, encouraging more shoppers onto Britain’s high streets

The age of the payment parking machine could be coming to an end, as new national parking data standards were revealed today (30 May 2019). By introducing the new standards, the government’s ambition is for all parking data released by local councils and companies across the country to use the same language, supporting the development of apps to make parking easier for drivers.

Created by the Alliance for Parking Data Standards (APDS) and funded by the Department for Transport, the standardised data could lead to smoother and easier payment methods right across the country and could transform the way we park as the Oyster card transformed the way we travel in London.

The announcement follows the publication of the government’s Future of mobility: urban strategy, and is a world-first for parking. By helping to streamline the parking experience and making it easier for drivers to find a suitable parking place, the standards could ultimately free up crucial space, easing congested cities and boosting British high streets.

Future of Mobility Minister, Michael Ellis, said:

We are on the brink of a revolution for the future of transport, with ground-breaking technologies creating huge opportunities for cleaner, cheaper, safer and more reliable journeys.

We now need to ensure the infrastructure surrounding these technologies is in place and can accommodate these innovations. The new parking data standards will bring government, private organisations and technologies together to ensure a smoother parking experience for drivers.

Chair of the British Parking Association and Chair of the APDS, Nigel Williams, said:

The new standards will enable the next generation of apps and connected cars to find a parking space, park and pay – with little or no intervention from the driver. The involvement of the British Parking Association in APDS has ensured that the UK is at the forefront of innovation to improve the customer experience of parking.

Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Hunting for a parking space and then checking if you have the right change to pay for it isn’t the best start to any shopping experience, but it can be the reality more often than not.

An intelligent parking system will not only make life easier for commuters, but could also improve footfall to our town centres – meaning both people and local businesses benefit.

To support the introduction of the standards, 4 research and development projects in Manchester City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and across a consortium of South Essex Councils will receive a share of £1 million to start putting the APDS standards into practice, with a further 7 projects being commissioned to identify ways to open up local authority data.

The development of the parking language will make it easier for local authorities and private companies to exchange data, ensuring cars of the future navigate both driver and passengers to an available space based on the price, quality of the space, safety of the space and availability of on-site services — including being near to electric chargepoints.

The announcement is another milestone for the government’s Future of Mobility Grand Challenge, which aims to tap into the extraordinary innovation across the country in order to improve everyday journeys.

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