Appointment details

Planning Inspectorate Chair

Summary

• Organisation: The Planning Inspectorate
• Sponsor department: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
• Location: South West
• Sectors: Public Administration
• Skills: Communication
• Number of vacancies: 1
• Time commitment: 30 day(s) per annum
• Remuneration: £26,000 per annum
• Length of term: 4 years
• Application deadline: 10am on 8 September 2025

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Timeline for this appointment

1. Opening date

   28 July 2025

2. Application deadline

   10am on 8 September 2025

3. Sifting date

   7 October 2025

4. Interviews expected to end on

   21 November 2025

Timeline dates are only an estimate and can change

About the appointment

Introduction from the Minister

Thank you for your interest in the role of Chair of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) Board. The Deputy Prime Minister and I are committed to ensuring that PINS delivers efficient, transparent, and fair decisions that will help deliver against the government’s ambitious Plan for Change.

As Chair, you will oversee the effective operation of the PINS Board and play a key leadership role within the sector. Your leadership will be pivotal in delivering a robust, effective and value for money service across all areas of the Inspectorate's work, including ensuring that the new service model embeds well across the organisation. Alongside the Board, you will provide expertise, guidance, and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and the wider executive team.

We are seeking a Chair who is as motivated by guiding the culture of an organisation as its operations, and who is excited by the prospect of driving change against challenging targets. A strong background in the public sector or commercial enterprises, along with experience in leadership roles within organisations managing complex financial and risk assurance systems, will also be highly valued. Further details on the role, responsibilities, and commitments are provided in the candidate pack. We encourage applications from a diverse range of individuals and are committed to increasing the diversity of Boards across our Arm’s Length Bodies. If you believe you have the experience and qualities we are looking for, we look forward to receiving your application.

Thank you for considering applying and bringing your skills and energy to this important role.  

Matthew Pennycook MP 

Minister of State for Housing and Planning

Appointment description

The Chair is responsible for leading the Planning Inspectorate's Board in the delivery of its responsibilities. The Board provides collective strategic leadership to the organisation. It is principally advisory and ensures that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control in line with the framework document between MHCLG and PINS. It does this by:​

• Ensuring an effective business planning and performance management framework is in place;​
• Ensuring the Planning Inspectorate delivers against its strategic objectives and ensuring sufficient resources are available to achieve those objectives;​
• Setting and communicating the Planning Inspectorate values, purpose and objectives to inspectors, other staff and stakeholders whilst protecting and enhancing the Planning Inspectorate reputation for professionalism, effectiveness, integrity and efficiency;​
• Monitoring and continuously improving performance and quality;​
• Ensuring an adequate risk management framework is in place and reviewing strategic risks;​
• Ensuring that proper accounting procedures are in place; and​
• Ensuring that the Planning Inspectorate policies are consistent with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and that its affairs are conducted with probity consistent with Managing Public Money.

​Person specification:

We are looking for someone who can support the Chief Executive in delivering the strategic plan for PINS. This includes embedding the new service model, transforming services in particular towards digital, driving culture change in the organisation and supporting Ministers’ ambitious objectives for housing supply, infrastructure and local planning. They must be able to form a constructive partnership with the Chief Executive and with Ministers/MHCLG, and to gain the respect of the non-executive directors. We are looking for someone who brings experience of driving change/transformation, with a keen eye for efficiency and efficacy. They will also need to understand the accountability and scrutiny arrangements of a senior public sector role. A general understanding of the planning system in England could be beneficial, but is not a requirement for the role.

Chair Responsibilities:

The Chair will:

• Be accountable to Ministers for the success of PINS in delivering the Government’s priorities, in particular for housing and for key national infrastructure projects, through consistent, reliable and excellent service;
• Lead the Board effectively, set the agenda and deliver high standards of governance behaviours, supporting and encouraging members to play a full and active role on the Board;
• Ensure that the Board as a whole plays a full and constructive part in the development and determination of PINS’ overall strategy and objectives;
• Be publicly visible as an important ambassador for PINS, influencing decision makers and stakeholders and protecting and enhancing PINS’ reputation;
• Advise the Secretary of State on the recruitment of new Board members;
• Encourage members to fully participate in the Board, undertaking appraisals of members and making recommendations to Ministers and officials on any proposed reappointments. 

Organisation description

The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) plays a key role within the planning system, helping to deliver against Government's ambitious aims of 1.5 million homes and 150 decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects within this Parliament. ​

​

PINS is an executive agency of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG). It is responsible for making decisions and providing recommendations in areas such as planning application appeals, local plan examinations and national infrastructure applications, as well as smaller specialist casework such as making decisions on commons and rights of way. The Inspectorate employs the country’s largest cohort of planning specialists and works alongside other parties to support the development of the planning sector.​

​

Their most recent Annual Report can be found here:​

Planning_Inspectorate_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2023-24.pdf​ 

Board composition

The Board is made up of a Chair, three Non-Executive directors, the CEO, the CFO and a representative of MHCLG. Further information can be found here: Our governance - Planning Inspectorate - GOV.UK.

Person specification

Essential criteria

1. Ability to provide exceptional leadership skills and to encourage commitment, innovation and flexibility within the Board. 
2. Strong financial and performance management skills with a track record of driving rapid change and delivering efficiencies within the public sector and/or private organisations. 
3. Sound political judgement and the ability to work with stakeholders in local and national government with an understanding of decision-making processes. 
4. Excellent communication, interpersonal and influencing skills to build credibility with all PINS staff. 
5. Ability to handle issues which may be politically, presentationally or legally sensitive. 
6. Ability to drive culture change within a complex organisation.  

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of working with national or local government. 

Application and selection process

How to apply

In order to apply you will need to create an account or sign in.

Once you are logged into your account, click on 'apply for this role' and follow the on-screen instructions. To apply, all candidates are required to provide:

• equality information
• information relating to any outside interests or reputational issues
• a Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• a supporting statement
• a short professional biography (150 words)

We will ask you to check and confirm your personal details to ensure your application is accurate.

You will also have the opportunity to make a reasonable adjustment request or apply under the disability confident scheme before you submit your application.

The Advisory Assessment Panel reserves the right to only consider applications that contain all of the elements listed above, and that arrive before the published deadline for applications.

Overview of the application process

Public appointments are made on merit following a fair and open competition process which is conducted in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. We will deal with your application as quickly as possible and will keep you informed at key stages. We aim to conclude the appointment process within three months of the deadline for applications – this is in accordance with the Governance Code.

The assessment process

1. Ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the public appointments made within their department. As a result, they must be consulted at every stage of the appointments process.

2. An Advisory Assessment Panel (“Panel”) is appointed by Ministers to assist them in their decision making. The role of the Panel is to decide, objectively, which candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the role.

3. At the shortlisting meeting the Panel will assess applications against the eligibility criteria and decide which candidates have best met the criteria, who should be recommended for interview. Ministers will then be consulted on the Panel’s recommended shortlist. If you have applied under the Disability Confident Scheme and you meet all the essential criteria, then you will also be invited for an interview.

4. Once the shortlist has been agreed by Ministers, you will be advised (by e-mail) whether you have been shortlisted. Those shortlisted will be invited to an interview.

5. The Panel will meet again to interview candidates and determine who is appointable to the role. The Panel may invite you to make a brief presentation at the start of the interview and will go on to question you about your skills and experience, including asking specific questions to assess whether you meet the criteria set out for the post. The Panel will also explore with you any potential conflicts of interest or any other issues arising from your personal and professional history which may impact on an appointment decision.

6. Details of the panel’s assessment of interviewed candidates are provided to Ministers, including whether they have judged a candidate to be appointable to the role. It is then for Ministers to determine merit and decide who should be appointed. In some circumstances, Ministers may choose not to appoint any candidates and re-run the competition.

7. Ministers may choose to meet with candidates before deciding the outcome. Candidates should therefore be prepared for a short time gap between interview and a final appointment decision being made. Candidates who have been interviewed will be kept informed of progress.

8. Once the decision on the appointment has been made, interviewed candidates will be advised of the outcome of their application, including whom they may approach for feedback. Successful candidates will be issued with their Terms & Conditions and a letter of appointment should they agree to take up the position.

Further information about appointments, including tips on applying, can be found on our guidance pages on gov.uk.

Advisory Assessment Panel (AAP)

Panel Chair: William Burgon (MHCLG Director for Planning);

Arthur Young (MHCLG Deputy Director for Development Plans); and

Independent Panel Member: Sadie Morgan.

Advisory Assessment Panels (AAP) are chosen by ministers to assist them in their decision-making. These include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive members of a board (apart from the Chair), the panel will usually include a representative from the public body concerned.

AAP’s perform a number of functions, including agreeing an assessment strategy with ministers, undertaking sifting, carrying out interviews in line with the advertised criteria and deciding objectively who meets the published selection criteria for the role before recommending to ministers which candidates they find appointable. It is then for the minister to decide who to appoint to the role.

Eligibility criteria

In general, you should have the right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply for a public appointment.

There are a small number of specialist roles that are not open to non-British citizens. Any nationality requirements will be specified in the vacancy details.

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. 

You cannot be considered for a public appointment if:

• you are disqualified from acting as a company director  (under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986);

• have an unspent conviction on your criminal record;

• your estate has been sequestrated in Scotland or you enter into a debt arrangement programme under Part 1 of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 17) as the debtor or have, under Scots law, granted a trust deed for creditors.

When you apply, you should declare if:

• you are, or have been, bankrupt or you have made an arrangement with a creditor at any point, including the dates of this. 

• you are subject to a current police investigation.

You must inform the sponsor department if, during the application process, your circumstances change in respect of any of the above points. 

When you apply you should also declare any relevant interests, highlighting any that you think may call into question your ability to properly discharge the responsibilities of the role you are applying for. You should also declare any other matters which may mean you may not be able to meet the requirements of the Code of Conduct of Board Members (see Outside interests and reputational issues section below)

If you need further advice, please contact publicappointments@communities.gov.uk.

Security clearance

The successful candidate will be required to undertake Baseline Personnel Security Standard checks in line with the Civil Service guidelines. Additional Security Clearance may also be required for certain roles. However, where this applies, candidates will be notified during the appointment process. Further information on National Security Vetting can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

Additional information for candidates

Equality and diversity

We encourage applications from talented individuals from all backgrounds and across the whole of the United Kingdom. Boards of public bodies are most effective when they reflect the diversity of views of the society they serve.

We collect data about applicants’ characteristics and backgrounds, including information about people’s educational and professional backgrounds, so that we can make sure we are attracting a broad range of people to these roles and that our selection processes are fair for everyone. Without this information, it makes it difficult to see if our outreach is working, if the application process is having an unfair impact on certain groups and whether changes are making a positive difference.

When you submit your application, your responses are collected by the Cabinet Office and the government department(s) managing your application. The data is used to produce management information about the diversity of applicants. You can select “prefer not to say” to any question you do not wish to answer. The information you provide will not be seen by the Advisory Assessment Panel who review applications against the advertised criteria and conduct interviews.

Disability confident

We are a member of the Government’s Disability Confident scheme. We use the Disability Confident scheme symbol, along with other like-minded employers, to show our commitment to good practice in employing people with a disability. The scheme helps recruit and retain disabled people. As part of implementing the scheme, we guarantee an interview for anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role, set out in the advert, and who has asked that their application is considered under the scheme. Indicating that you wish your application to be considered under the scheme will in no way prejudice your application. By ‘essential criteria', we mean that you must provide evidence which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required under each of the essential criteria, as set out in the job-advert. When you apply you will have the opportunity to select if you would like your application considered under this scheme.

Reasonable adjustments

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to make sure applicants with disabilities, physical or mental health conditions, or other needs are not substantially disadvantaged when applying for public appointments. This can include changing the recruitment process to enable people who wish to apply to do so.

Some examples of common changes are:

• ensuring that application forms are available in different or accessible formats;
• making adaptations to interview locations;
• allowing candidates to present their skills and experience in a different way;
• giving additional detailed information on the selection / interview process in advance to allow candidates time to prepare themselves;
• allowing support workers, for example sign language interpreters;
• making provision for support animals to attend.

When you apply you will have the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments to the application process.

Principles of public life

The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder.

1. Selflessness

Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

2. Integrity

Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

3. Objectivity

Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

4. Accountability

Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

5. Openness

Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

6. Honesty

Holders of public office should be truthful.

7. Leadership

Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Code of conduct for board members

The Government expects all holders of public office to work to the highest personal and professional standards. In support of this, all non-executive board members of UK public bodies must abide by the principles set out in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. The Code sets out the standards expected from those who serve on the boards of UK public bodies and will form part of your terms and conditions of appointment.

Management of outside interests and consideration of reputational issues

Holders of public office are expected to adhere and uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies. Before you apply you should consider carefully: 

• any outside interests that you may have, such as shares you may hold in a company providing services to government; 
• any possible reputational issues arising from your past actions or public statements that you have made; 
• and/or - any political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported; 

which may call into question your ability to do the role you are applying for.

You will need to answer relevant questions in relation to these points when making an application. Many conflicts of interest can be satisfactorily resolved and declaring a potential conflict does not prevent you from being interviewed. If you are shortlisted for an interview, the panel will discuss any potential conflicts with you during that interview, including any proposals you may have to mitigate them and record that in their advice to ministers. Alongside your own declaration, we will conduct appropriate checks, as part of which we will consider anything in the public domain related to your conduct or professional capacity. This may include searches of previous public statements and social media, blogs or any other publicly available information. The successful candidate(s) may be required to give up any conflicting interests and their other business and financial interests may be published in line with organisational policies. 

Details of declared political activity will be published when the appointment is announced, as required by the Governance Code (political activity is not a bar to appointment, but must be declared).

Status of appointment

As this is an office holder appointment, you will not become a member of the Civil Service. You will not be subject to the provisions of employment law.

Appointment and tenure of office

Appointments are for the term set out in this advert, with the possibility of re-appointment for a further term, at the discretion of Ministers.  Any re-appointment is subject to satisfactory annual appraisals of performance during the first term in the post. There is no automatic presumption of reappointment; each case should be considered on its own merits, taking into account a number of factors including, but not restricted to, the diversity of the current board and its balance of skills and experience. In most cases, the total time served in post will not exceed more than two terms or ten years in any one post. 

Remuneration, allowances and abatement

You can claim reimbursement for reasonable travel and subsistence costs which are properly and necessarily incurred on official business, in line with the travel and subsistence policy and rates for the organisation to which you are applying. However these payments are taxable as earnings and will be subject to tax and national insurance, both of which will be deducted at source under PAYE before you are paid.  

Pension and redundancy

This is an office holder appointment and does not attract any benefits under any Civil Service Pension Scheme. You will not be eligible for redundancy pay as you are not an employee. No other arrangements have been made for compensation upon the end of your term of appointment because an office holder who is appointed for a limited duration would have no expectation of serving beyond that period.

Application feedback

We will notify you of the status of your application. We regret that we are only able to offer detailed feedback to candidates who have been unsuccessful at the interview stage.

How to complain

We aim to process all applications as quickly as possible and to treat all applicants with courtesy.

Please contact the MHCLG's public appointments team in the first instance if you would like to make a complaint regarding your application at publicappointments@communities.gov.uk. They will acknowledge your complaint upon receipt and respond within 15 working days.

Data protection

The Cabinet Office will use your data in line with our privacy policy.

MHCLG's privacy policy is attached to this advert.

Contact details

MHCLG's Public Appointments Team - publicappointments@communities.gov.uk.

Attachments

• PINS Chair - Candidate Pack

• MHCLG Privacy Notice