Culture secretary and sports minister lead roundtable discussion on future of football

The Culture Secretary and Sports Minister have led a roundtable discussion today with current and former players from the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship, to get the players’ perspective on tackling discrimination and abuse in the game, as part of their series of discussions on the “Future of Football”.

Players who shared their views included Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Rinsola Babajide, Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings and Watford’s Troy Deeney, alongside former players including Karen Carney and Anton Ferdinand.

Many of those joining the call shared their powerful experiences of the abuse they or their fellow footballers have faced, and the action they would like to see to tackle this problem. The meeting was called by Ministers ahead of them introducing new laws to hold social media companies to account for online harms, and a fan-led review of football governance.

Ministers listened to players talk about their direct experiences of discrimination in the men’s and women’s game, and the challenges in reporting and getting help with this. Representatives from the game also talked about the need to drive forward diversity in leadership in the game, and welcomed recent steps taken by clubs to support this.

MInisters in turn shared the plans for changing the law to tackle online harms. The Bill, due to come before Parliament in 2021, will require tech firms to take action so that what is unacceptable in the street and in stands, is unacceptable online too. The Government is taking soundings from a variety of figures in football, prior to formally launching a fan led governance review, as committed to in the 2019 manifesto which will shape reform of the national game. Ministers opened the series in November bringing together leaders from across football where they discussed financial sustainability and governance, diversity and growing the women’s game. Following the meeting a financial package was agreed between the Premier League and the EFL, and the Government announced funding for National League and women’s football clubs.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “To hear players talk about the level of abuse they have faced was humbling. Their input today has strengthened my resolve to bring in new laws to ensure there is much greater accountability from the social media platforms for dealing with such problems.
“As we shape the “Future of Football” and look towards our football governance review, we must tackle issues around discrimination and lack of equality of opportunity head on. I am grateful to this group of players for sharing their experiences and expertise to help the Government’s work.”

Liverpool FC player and captain Jordan Henderson said:

“The meeting was very important and I’m pleased that those with power and authority to enact change realise the seriousness of the abuse towards players.”

Aston Villa FC player Tyrone Mings said:

I was pleased that the Secretary of State wanted to engage with, and listen to, the thoughts of us as players and ex players. Hopefully this adds context when he attempts to deliver change on behalf of us.

Chair of the Football Association’s Inclusion Advisory Board Paul Elliott said:

Just like the stakeholders and clubs have shown by signing up to the diversity code the Secretary of State, DCMS and the Government has evidenced genuine appetite and leadership for change.

Notes to editors:

List of attendees:

Student Loans Company responds to Skills for Jobs white paper

Press release

SLC welcomes the Government’s Skills for Jobs white paper.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) welcomes the Government’s Skills for Jobs white paper and the proposed policy reforms, which include the introduction of a Lifelong Learning Entitlement and a move to Post Qualification Admission.

In response to the publication of the white paper, SLC has asked Derek Ross, currently Executive Director of Operations, to transition to the role of Executive Director HE and FE Policy Reform.

David Wallace, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Customer Officer, SLC, said: “The reforms outlined in the Skills for Jobs white paper have the potential to fundamentally alter student finance and, therefore, how it is delivered by SLC.”

“These proposals are published as SLC starts to implement transformational change; this new role within my team enables SLC to focus on responding to potentially significant reform, while we deliver our shareholders’ existing policy priorities.

“SLC will play a key role in any early discussions, giving us the opportunity to actively shape how any reforms will be delivered. We intend to support Government to ensure these proposals take a holistic view of how any changes might affect our customers, colleagues, processes and technology and Derek’s extensive experience of SLC’s customer operations means that he is well positioned to support me with this activity.”

Derek Ross, SLC’s current Executive Director of Operations, will transition into the new role in the coming months during which time SLC will recruit a new Executive Director to lead its Operations Directorate.

Published 26 January 2021

Kate Dodsworth appointed as Director of Consumer Regulation at RSH

Press release

Kate Dodsworth to join the Regulator of Social Housing in the summer as its first Director of Consumer Regulation

The Regulator of Social Housing has today announced the appointment of Kate Dodsworth, currently CEO of Gateway Housing, as its new Director of Consumer Regulation.

Kate started her career in housing working in homelessness and with rough sleepers and has also previously worked for the National Housing Federation and at Optivo Homes. She was also one of the founding members of Leadership 2025, which was set up to address diversity gaps in housing leadership, and is a trustee of the charity that is taking this work forward.

Kate will join the regulator in the summer.

Fiona MacGregor, CEO of RSH said:

Kate brings with her strong experience of working with tenants and effectively listening to the tenant voice to shape and influence services in her various roles as well as deep knowledge of the social housing sector.

We are delighted she will be joining us as Director of Consumer Regulation which is an extremely important role in our implementation of the White Paper and the proactive consumer regulation regime that sets out.

Kate Dodsworth said:

I’m honoured to take on this new role within the Regulator of Social Housing. Proactive consumer regulation will support a culture change which puts tenants at the centre of social housing.

Having advocated this throughout my career, I’m really excited to join RSH at this time and lead the delivery of some of the White Paper aspirations.

Notes to editors

For more information, contact: Angela Maher, Head of Communications angela.maher@rsh.gov.uk or 0121 234 9943.
The Regulator of Social Housing promotes a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs. It does this by undertaking robust economic regulation focusing on governance, financial viability and value for money that maintains lender confidence and protects the taxpayer. It also sets consumer standards and may take action if these standards are breached and there is a significant risk of serious detriment to tenants or potential tenants.
Leadership 2025 (registered charity 1191851) aims to support and empower BME senior professionals to become housing sector leaders of the future. It has a long-term ambition of supporting the creation of a housing sector that is vibrant and diverse at all levels, with better representation of BME individuals at leadership levels

Published 26 January 2021

Magnox launches apprentice recruitment

News story

Magnox has launched a new apprentice recruitment programme to support the skills needed for our decommissioning agenda.

Some of the apprentices already working on Magnox sites

The apprenticeships, at differing levels and in disciplines varying from health physics, procurement and supply chain to engineering design, will be based across our business.

The programme follows on from a similar recruitment campaign to bring apprentices into the business in 2020. The new opportunities are open to people of any age, and combine formal learning and workplace learning.

Mandy Walker, Magnox Learning and Development Manager, said:

This is a great opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation within the nuclear industry, while simultaneously delivering greater diversity of thought within Magnox. This in turn, will enable and drive innovation.

The vacancies are currently being advertised on the Engergus website, the government’s national apprenticeship service (plus devolved nations equivalent) and via Indeed and Job Centre Plus.

Magnox is committed to creating a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities and in particular those that are currently under represented in our workforce. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with disabilities and female candidates. Our recruitment process is fair, transparent and based on merit.

To find out more information on the roles and how to apply visit: https://www.energus.co.uk/vacancies/magnox-recruitment/

Published 26 January 2021

Simon Dudley announced as new chairman of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation

Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP has today (26 January 2021) confirmed Simon Dudley has been appointed as the new chairman of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.

The 4-year appointment follows a fair and open recruitment process, after which the Prime Minister confirmed his suitability for the role.

Simon’s appointment follows Michael Cassidy CBE ending 6 successful years as Chair of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s board.

Simon is the former leader of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council where he served from 2007 to 2019. He became a non-executive director of Homes England in 2017, becoming Senior Independent Director and then Interim Chair between the summer 2019 and the autumn of 2020.

The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) is the Urban Development Corporation established by government in 2015 to deliver the new Ebbsfleet Garden City in North Kent.

Ebbsfleet Garden City is the first Garden City for over 100 years and one of the largest housing developments on brownfield sites in the UK.

With well over 2,000 quality new homes, the Garden City has the potential to create around 30,000 new job opportunities.

New communities, such as Ebbsfleet Garden City make an important contribution to the government ambition of delivering 300,000 new homes per year.

Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP said:

I am delighted to announce Simon Dudley has been appointed as the new chairman of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and would like to thank Michael Cassidy for his sterling work over the past 6 years.

The Ebbsfleet, Northfleet and Swanscombe area has huge potential to create not only new homes, but also a vibrant community where people want to live and work. We look forward to working with him and wish him every success in helping to deliver a garden city of which we can all be proud.

Simon Dudley, incoming Chairman of EDC said:

The creation of Ebbsfleet Garden City is a fantastic opportunity to grow a new community and business location where London meets the Garden of England.

Building on a series of brownfield sites in one of the best-connected locations in England, we aim to deliver a vibrant new city of up to 15,000 new homes.

I’m absolutely thrilled to be appointed by the Prime Minister to one of the most successful regeneration projects in the country and I can’t wait to start.

Simon Dudley biography:

Simon is the former leader of Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council where he served from 2007 to 2019.
Simon became a non-executive director of Homes England in 2017, becoming Senior Independent Director and then Interim Chair between the summer 2019 and the autumn of 2020.
After a 30-year career working for HSBC, Svenska Handelsbanken, he became partner of his own structured finance advisory business, a managing director in Fixed Income at Citigroup Global Markets and then spent some years in private equity.
Simon has an expertise in infrastructure finance, having worked extensively on the £16 billion take-private of the airport operator BAA (Heathrow airport) in 2006 and leading the refinancing of it in 2008; which concluded just before the Global Financial Crisis.
During his time as leader of the Council, Simon was instrumental in advancing their Borough Local Plan and establishing two joint ventures with Countryside Properties and Cala Homes as part of the regeneration of Maidenhead town centre.
He has also founded two free schools; one a state boarding school called Holyport College which he founded with Eton College and another called Forest Bridge School which is a special free school for children on the autistic spectrum.

For further information from MHCLG please contact: NewsDesk@communities.gov.uk / 24 hour news desk: 0303 444 1209

For further information from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation please contact: Mark Templeton, Head of Communications: Email: mark.templeton@ebbsfleetdc.org.uk / 0303 444 2160