Public Service Ombudsmen: Profiles

Anne Seex: Local Government Ombudsman, York Office, England

Took up office: 30th September 2005

Her office covers the following areas: London Borough of Tower Hamlets, City of Birmingham, Solihull MBC, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire and the North of England (except the cities of Lancaster, Manchester and York).

Background: Before becoming Local Government Ombudsman on the 27th October 2005, Anne Seex had been Chief Executive Officer of Norwich City Council for five years, joining from Lancaster City Council where she was Director of Community Services (1996 - 2000). She has over 25 years' experience in local government, starting in a metropolitan borough, moving through a district council for a new town to work for 11 years in various roles in the Chief Executive's Department at Manchester City Council (1985 - 1996).

Qualifications: Graduate from the Faculty and School of Law in public life, University of Manchester.

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Comment: Another Ombudsman that has never had a full time job outside of local government.

Anne Seex is well known for creative compensation, for example, she awarded a man £1000 towards the cost of a memorial when council maladministration contributed to the death of his mother. Ms Seex said Mrs Stones had been "failed by the system which was supposed to protect her". Looks like Mr Stones was also failed by Anne Seex. £1000, what an insult! What kind of message does that send out to councils.

Anne Seex has been ditched by Trafford Council. 'from April 2007 any cases involving Trafford Council will be dealt with by the ombudsman's office based at Coventry rather than York.'

Anne Seex was in post as Chief Executive of Norwich City Council when they issued over 140,000 non-compliant Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) between 2002 and 2005 (they only corrected theirs in August 2006 issuing £3,416,452.98 worth of non-compliant PCNs 2002 - 2006).

In March 2006, the Audit Commission published a highly critical audit letter for Norwich City Council during Mrs Seex' last year as Chief Executive leading to questions about her credibility as an independent and final arbiter on matters of maladministration in local government.

During 2005 she had to apologise when Norwich City Council failed to obtain planning permission. 'Norwich City Council Chief Executive Anne Seex admitted, in a letter sent to all City Councillors and the local media, that the Council had broken planning regulations by not applying for Advertisement Consent for the projections on to the City Hall clock tower.'

Jerry White: Local Government Ombudsman, Coventry Office, England

His office covers the following area: London boroughs South of the River Thames (except Richmond) and Harrow; the cities of Lancaster, Manchester and York; and the rest of England, not included in the areas of Tony Redmond and Anne Seex.

Background: Before becoming Local Government Ombudsman on 1 March 1995, Jerry White was Chief Executive of the London Borough of Hackney. He has served in local government since 1967, including senior positions in the environmental health and housing departments of the London Boroughs of Islington,  Haringey and Hackney.

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Comment: 40 years in Local Government, looks like he's never had a full time job outside of local government.

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His office covers the following area: London boroughs North of the River Thames (including Richmond but not including Harrow or Tower Hamlets), Essex, Kent, Surrey, Suffolk, East and West Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and the City of Coventry

Background: Tony Redmond joined the Commission as Chairman on 12 November 2001. Before becoming a Local Government Ombudsman, Mr Redmond was Chief Executive of the London Borough of Harrow. (1987-2001) Prior to that he served as Treasurer and Deputy Chief Executive of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council ( - 1987) and also Treasurer to the Merseyside Police Authority. He has also held senior posts in Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council and Liverpool City Council. He left school in 1962 and joined Liverpool City Council. His earlier posts were in Accountancy, Audit, Revenues and Corporate Planning at Liverpool City Council culminating in his role as Chief Accountant.

Qualifications: Chartered Public Finance Accountant.

Memberships: Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is also a Member of the Queen Mary Westfield College (University of London) Public Policy Advisory Board.

Outside interests: sport, theatre, music and an abiding passion for ballet.

Comment: It would appear that he has never had a full time job outside of local government.

Although Mrs Thomas retired in 2005 she deserves a page on this website because she was one of the worst Ombudsmen we have ever had.

Background: Born in London and spent the first 22 years of her life there. Student at Kings College London. Lecturer in law at Leeds University. One year in the USA as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Illinois. Moved to Lancashire in 1968. Husband was then a Research Fellow at the University of Lancaster. Bought a farm, keeping cattle and sheep. He now runs a Pick-Your-Own soft fruit business.
Returned to work in 1973 after having three children. Lecturer at Preston Polytechnic. Head of the Law School (top cat) in 1978.Board of Visitors at Preston Prison and also became a chairman of Rent Assessment Committees, Rent Tribunals and Social Security Appeal Tribunals. Appointed to the post of Local Government Ombudsman in 1985. Retired 2005.

Qualifications: LL.B and LL.M from the University of London.

Memberships: Business member of Morecambe and Lancaster college.

Outside interests: Picking fruit?

Background: Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (2002 - date). Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales (1997 - 2002). Chief Executive of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (1991 - 1997). Housing Corporation (1980 - 1990). Housing Manager in local government from 1975 to 1980.

Memberships: Chair of the British and Irish Ombudsman Association.

Appointed: 2002. She began her academic career in 1984 after working in the private sector. Having held lectureships in Economics at the University of Stirling and Edinburgh, she took up a full-time post in the Department of Politics at Edinburgh University in 1990.

Background: Director of the Local Government and Culture Department in the Welsh Assembly Government. Chief Executive of the former Tai Cymru - Housing for Wales between 1989-1998.