The Chancellor of the Exchequer has today announced the
appointment of as independent Chair of the
Office for Value for Money.
David will advise the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief
Secretary to the Treasury on decisions for the multi-year
Spending Review. This will include conducting an assessment of
where and how to root out waste and inefficiency, undertaking
value for money studies in specific high-risk areas of
cross-departmental spending, and scrutinising investment
proposals to ensure they offer value for money. David will
also develop recommendations for system reform, underpinning a
ruthless focus within government on realising benefits from every
pound of public spending.
, Chair of the Office for
Value for Money, said:
I am honoured to have been appointed by the Chancellor and Chief
Secretary to this important role. I look forward to working
within government over the coming year to bring renewed focus to
ensuring we deliver maximum value for the public in how money is
spent.
Alongside his role as Chair of the Office for Value for Money,
is also a Non-Executive
Director of the Submarine Delivery Agency, a Non-Executive
Director of HS2 Ltd, acting as HM Treasury's representative on
the Board, and a member of the Projects & Programmes
Committee of GB Nuclear. Prior to this, David served as Chief
Executive of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal
Delivery Authority since July 2020. He was also a member of the
Board of the Major Projects Association from 2022 to 2024.
David was previously the Chief Operating Officer of the Ministry
of Defence, where he led the Department's complex multi-billion
transformation programme, and represented the Department on the
Boards of the military commands.
David played a leading role in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. He was responsible for overseeing the Government's
£9.3bn investment for the 2012 Games including the delivery of
the Olympic Park venues and infrastructure. As CEO of the London
Legacy Development Corporation, David was responsible for
the delivery of the East London regeneration legacy, including
the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the
surrounding areas. David was also previously Transport for
London's Chief Finance Officer.
David trained as a CIPFA accountant whilst at the Audit
Commission before moving to Price Waterhouse and then spending 12
years in the delivery of locally based investment programmes for
Government. He had previously spent two years as a secondary
school teacher.
Notes to Editors
-
Autumn Budget 2024 announced the formal launch of the Office
for Value for Money (OVfM), with the direct ministerial
appointment of as the independent
Chair of OVfM. As part of his role, David will advise the
Chancellor on the multi-year Spending Review. In order to
ensure David is in place to perform this role, a Direct
Ministerial appointment process was run. The criteria used
are set out in the accompanying Terms of Reference.
-
David was appointed Treasury-nominated Non-Executive Director
on the board of HS2 on 1st June 2024.
-
The OVfM will be time limited, and will take up the role
on a part-time basis for an initial 12 month period, starting
on 30 October 2024. The Government will set out its decisions
on the future of the Office and other activities to improve
value for money in due course.
-
David will be supported by a multidisciplinary team of up to
20 civil servants based in HM Treasury.
