Dame Mary Ney has today (30 August) been appointed to carry out
an independent review of how the government monitors colleges’
finances and financial management.
The review was first announced at the Association of Colleges’
spring conference in May, after Hadlow College was placed into
education administration under the new FE Insolvency Regime
introduced in January this year.
Dame Mary has been appointed to conduct the review given her
extensive experience in local government, serving as Chief
Executive of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and a government
appointed commissioner to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.
The findings from the review are expected to be published later
this year.
Terms of reference
In light of the financial difficulties at Hadlow and West Kent
& Ashford Colleges, to review the way Government monitored
and exercised its oversight of those colleges’ finances and
financial management, and their effectiveness in practice,
including the work of the ESFA and the FE Commissioner’s team;
and to recommend changes that would reduce the risk of such
problems recurring, taking account of colleges’ independence and
the need to minimise regulatory burden.
Biography
Mary has had a distinguished 40-year career in local government,
culminating in her serving as Chief Executive of the Royal
Borough of Greenwich for 14 years during a period of major
regeneration and service transformation in the borough, which won
Council of the Year in 2013. She joined the DCLG Board as a
Non-Executive Director in October 2016 and continued in this role
for the MHCLG Board from January 2018.
Mary carried out the Review of the Governance and Transparency of
LEPs (often known as the Ney Review), which was published in
October 2017. The recommendations were accepted by the Ministry
of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and are being
implemented.
In February 2015, Mary became one of five government
commissioners at Rotherham metropolitan borough council, who
assumed decision-making powers and were tasked with improving the
council’s performance and helping rebuild the trust of local
residents. Mary became Lead Commissioner in 2017 and oversaw the
full restoration of powers back to the Council in 2018.
Mary is a board trustee of two charities. She was made a Dame
Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New
Year’s Honours List, for services to local government.
