Committee endorses the appointment of the new Housing Ombudsman
18 December 2014
Committee endorses appointment of Denise Fowler as the new Housing Ombudsman, subject to her resigning from the Civil Service
- Report: Pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for the post of Housing Ombudsman
- Report: Pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for the post of Housing Ombudsman (PDF 293 KB)
- Inquiry: Appointment of the Housing Ombudsman
- Communities and Local Government Committee
On 16 December the Communities and Local Government held a pre-appointment hearing with the Government’s preferred candidate for the post of Housing Ombudsman, Denise Fowler. Ms Fowler is currently Deputy Director, Head of Planning Law at the Department for Communities and Local Government.
On the basis of the evidence provided at the hearing, the Committee concluded that Ms Fowler is a very suitable candidate for the post. In its Report the Committee, however, made its endorsement dependent on Ms Fowler resigning from the Civil Service.
Commenting on the Report, Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said:
"The Housing Ombudsman has to be, and has to be seen to be, independent of central government and it is not acceptable for this post to be filled by a civil servant, even one on secondment or taking a career break. Subject to meeting this requirement, we concluded that Ms Fowler is a very suitable candidate for the post of Housing Ombudsman."