Public appointment: Chair appointed to the Accounts Commission for Scotland

The Minister for Social Security and Local Government, Ben Macpherson, today announced the appointment of William Moyes as Chair of the Accounts Commission for Scotland

Mr Macpherson said:

‘I look forward to working with William Moyes as the new Chair of the Accounts Commission. His wealth of experience across the public, private and voluntary sectors will be a great asset to the Commission, as they develop and take forward their future work programmes to help drive improvement in Scotland’s public services.’

Chair

William (Bill) Moyes has extensive experience as Chair or non-executive director in the public and private sectors, with a particular emphasis on bodies responsible for regulating conduct and performance, competition and consumer protection. His Chair appointments have included the Gambling Commission, the General Dental Council and the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts (Monitor) and his non-executive director appointments have included the Office of Fair Trading and the Legal Services Board.

Having completed a PhD in theoretical chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, Bill joined the Civil Services in 1975 and spent the next 20 years in policy-making roles in Whitehall, including the Economic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, and in various departments of the then Scottish Office, including four years as Director of Strategy and Performance Management for the NHS in Scotland.

After leaving the Civil Service he spent six years in the Bank of Scotland. In 2000 he become Director General of the British Retail Consortium, the representative body of the retail sector.

Appointment

This appointment will be for four years and will run from 1 January 2022 until 31 December 2025.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £346.20 per day for a time commitment of 10.5 days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

William Moyes does not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

William Moyes has had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Accounts Commission for Scotland is the public spending watchdog for local government. It holds councils in Scotland to account and help them improve. It operates impartially and independently of councils and of the Scottish Government, and meets and reports in public.