London Councils unveils two new directors » Local Government » 24dash.com

London Councils has today announced the appointments of Faraz Baber as Director of World Cities and Hugh Grover as Director of Fair Funding.

Faraz Baber currently leads Surrey County Council’s economy, environment and housing policy team. He will be tasked with pulling together London Councils’ work around housing, planning, transport strategy, London 2012 Games, the environment and climate change.

Hugh Grover is presently a deputy director of the Communities and Local Government (CLG) department’s local government finance directorate where he heads up their business rates division. At London Councils he will be tasked with leading the case for the capital to receive its fair share of government funding to provide vital services for local communities.

Welcoming the new appointments, London Councils’ Chairman, Councillor Merrick Cockell, said: “These appointments underline London Councils’ ambition both to lead and shape the debate on the future of public services in the capital.

“If we are truly going to improve the lives of our local communities we need to attract the best people possible. I am delighted that London Councils, the boroughs and Londoners as a whole, will be able to benefit from the expertise of both Faraz and Hugh.”

Faraz Baber said: ‘This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for me at a time when the global crisis is having reverberations across all the major cities of the world, including London.”

Hugh Grover said: “I’m delighted to be taking up this exciting opportunity with London Councils and look forward immensely to working to ensure we deliver a real difference for London’s boroughs and for Londoners.”