The former chief executive of Ealing Council, Paul Najsarek, has been appointed as the interim Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, following the retirement today (31 March 2023) of current Ombudsman Michael King.
He will take on the role for a six month period from April 1 2023.
Mr Najsarek joined Ealing Council in February 2016 and left in December 2021.
In other roles during his local government career, he was acting chief executive of Harrow Council and chief executive of Bolton Council.
In his letter of appointment of Mr Najsarek, Local government minister Lee Rowley said:
“I am also delighted to confirm that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has designated you as the Chair of the Commission for Local Administration in England with effect from 1 April 2023. As Chair, you will also commonly be known as the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
“Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill the Government is transferring more power and responsibility to local government, which makes it increasingly vital that local citizens have an effective right of redress where local services do not meet the standards that the public rightly expect and deserve.
“As Ombudsman, you will play a vital role in this framework for redress. Your investigations will help remedy serious injustice suffered by members of the public and will improve local outcomes for communities across the country. Your job, in essence, is to “put things right when they have gone wrong” for ordinary citizens.”
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Najsarek said: “I am excited to be joining such an important organisation which has a huge impact on the quality of local government administration across the country and reflects the values of public service that I hold dear.
“The Ombudsman position is a unique role in the local government system and, with my experience in both the local government and social care sectors, I look forward to further developing the great work the organisation carries out.”
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