2019’s Lecture was given by Lord Kerslake, Chair of the Peabody Trust board and Be First and a member of the House of Lords. Knighted for his services to local government, he was Permanent Secretary to the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2010-2015 and the head of the Civil Service from 2012-2014. In early 2015, he was made a life peer, taking the title Baron Kerslake, of Endcliffe in the City of Sheffield.
Beginning his career in local government, before moving into central government, Lord Kerslake held Chief Executive positions at the London Borough of Hounslow, then Sheffield City Council, followed by the Homes and Communities Agency.
A regular contributor to The Guardian, Lord Kerslake is passionate about his country and has been outspoken on his views and in campaigning for a second Brexit referendum.
Not one to shy away from difficult or controversial subjects, in 2018 our speaker chaired the high-profile independent
review into the response to the Manchester Arena Attack, overseeing the resulting paper named ‘The Kerslake Report’.