Simon Parker has stepped down as director of the New Local Government Network think tank to head up corporate strategy at the London Borough of Redbridge.
Parker is to move on to London Borough of Redbridge – Photo credit: Flickr, diamondgeezer
Parker, who has been at the NLGN – which focuses on innovation in public services – for six years, will take up his new post in autumn.
He said that it had been “a privilege” to lead the NLGN for that time, and picked out the push for devolution and support for municipal innovation as areas that gave him particular pride.
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The chairwoman of the NLGN Jane Roberts said: “We will greatly miss Simon’s intellect, dynamism and enthusiasm. He has brought tremendous energy to our work and our sector. At difficult times he has always been a wellspring of optimism.”
The NLGN said in a statement that it was going to start recruiting for a new director soon, and that deputy director Jessica Studdert would oversee the think tank’s research and events programmes in the interim.
Parker was previously a journalist at the Guardian, and then worked at Demos and the Institute for Government, and his work has focused on decentralisation and local government.
