- Department for Transport welcomes new Chair tasked with
providing advice to government and driving accessibility
improvements
- the former Team GB wheelchair fencer brings board-level
experience from multiple government departments
- Accessibility Minister : “DPTAC plays a vital
role helping us ensure equal access to travel in the UK and I’m
delighted to welcome Matthew as the new Chair.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) has today (21 February
2023) appointed a new Chair of DPTAC to
represent the needs and rights of disabled people across the
UK’s transport network.
Matthew Campbell-Hill, a tech regulation expert and former Team
GBwheelchair fencer, will work
alongside DfT to
advise government on the needs and rights of passengers, and to
ensure its projects are inclusive and accessible for all.
Having held a number of government advisory positions and with a
senior fellowship at the University of Birmingham, Matthew brings
to the role extensive knowledge and experience of working in
complex industries.
Roads and Local Transport Minister , who has cross-DfTresponsibility for
accessibility said:
Everyone deserves the right to get from A to B with ease and
DPTAC
plays a vital role helping us ensure equal access to travel in
the UK.
I’m delighted to welcome Matthew as the new Chair. His background
speaks for itself in his breadth of experience and I look forward
to working closely with him in the coming months.
Building on the work of previous DPTAC
Chair, Keith Richards, who held the role for over 8 years,
Matthew will provide an independent, expert voice tasked with
holding the government to account in ensuring disabled people can
travel safely and independently across all modes of transport.
The new Chair currently serves as a non-executive director at the
Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), where he heads up
the Health, Safety, and Wellness Committee and leads on advice on
vehicle autonomy.
He previously held a non-executive director position at the
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and was part of
a government-commissioned review to improve diversity within the
public appointments process.
With more than 10 years of experience as a wheelchair athlete,
including multiple World Cup medals and winning the National
Championships in 2012, Matthew Campbell-Hill brings a wealth of
experience and a personal perspective to the role of DPTAC
Chair.
Matthew Campbell-Hill said:
I am honoured to be appointed as the new Chair of the Disabled
Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
As a seasoned traveller with lived experience of disability, I am
looking forward to working with the excellent team in place to
help them continue to share their expertise with the government.
The transport landscape has rapidly evolved in recent years, and
I am passionate about leveraging this momentum to improve
accessibility and inclusiveness across the UK’s transport network.
I would like to thank Keith Richards OBE for his tireless efforts
ensuring that all disabled people and their carers have had
representation at the highest political levels.
