The Office for Local Government (Oflog) must “continue to act with a spirit of independence”, secretary of state Michael Gove has said, in the wake of Lord Morse stepping down from his role as interim chair.
Lord Morse, who was appointed to the role in January 2023, will leave at the end of this month (March) “for unexpected health reasons”.
Gove has written to Oflog chief executive Josh Goodman to assure him that while the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) is working “at pace to appoint a new interim chair”, Oflog must continue to operate with the same strategic remit and priorities outlined by DLUHC last month.
“In particular, I exhort you to continue to act with the spirit of independence [I have] set out,” Gove wrote. “It remains the case that, once I have agreed your corporate plan for 2024 to 2027, Oflog will be free to deliver that plan as it sees fit.”
Ministers will need to approve the metrics published on the data explorer, following recommendations from Oflog, he continued, and should have sight of reports before publication.
But Gove said ministers “will not exercise any influence over Oflog’s outputs, including any reports Oflog publishes on particular local areas”.
Commenting on his departure, Lord Morse said: “Local government makes a huge contribution to the lives of citizens across England. I believe strongly that Oflog, as it continues to develop, will make a real difference to local government’s success in doing so.
“I am proud of the model for Oflog that we have developed in close collaboration with the local government sector and set out recently in our draft corporate plan. It is a proportionate and nuanced approach that seeks to act with a light touch and through influence, avoiding some of the heavy-handed methods of previous eras.”
Lord Morse said he would have “very much liked to continue as interim and perhaps permanent chair of Oflog”, but that “unexpected health reasons” would prevent him from doing so.
Gove said he was “immensely grateful” to Lord Morse “for his tremendous contribution to the establishment and development of Oflog”. He added: “His counsel and leadership have been instrumental. I am very sorry that he is, with reluctance, stepping down.”
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