Membership
Read the minutes of our monthly meetings and find out about the members of the committee.
Meeting dates 2022
- 26 January
- 16 March
- 27 April
- 25 May
- 22 June
- 20 July
- 14 September
- 12 October
- 9 November
- 7 December
Minutes providing a formal record of the committee’s scrutiny of the social security regulations presented to it by the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland) or Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are published below.
Please note that regulations are not necessarily presented to the committee every month.
If you have any questions about the most recent meeting that has taken place, please contact the secretariat at ssac@ssac.gov.uk for clarification.
Minutes of meetings
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Older minutes
Go to the National Archives for older SSAC minutes.
Members of the committee
Dr Stephen Brien – chair of the committee
Dr Stephen Brien was appointed as Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) from 14 September 2020.
The committee members are as follows.
Professor Gráinne McKeever – vice chair
Gráinne McKeever is a Professor of Law and Social Justice at Ulster University and has published widely in the areas of social security law and access to justice. She is the joint editor of the Journal of Social Security Law and currently teaches social security law and policy to undergraduate and postgraduate law students. Gráinne is the director of Ulster University’s Law Clinic, through which postgraduate law students provide social security advocacy for members of the public. Gráinne is also a former executive director and Chair of the Law Centre, Northern Ireland, a not-for-profit specialist advice organisation.
Bruce Calderwood
Bruce Calderwood is a trustee of the Avenues Group, a charity specialising in supporting people with complex needs. He was for many years a senior official in DWP in a wide range of roles. He ended his civil service career as the director in the Department of Health responsible for policy on mental health, disability and equality. In this role he led the team which created the 2010 to 2015 coalition government’s mental health strategy and its review of services for learning disabled people following the Winterbourne View scandal.
Carl Emmerson
Carl is Deputy Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). He is an editor of the annual IFS Green Budget, and his research includes analysis of the UK public finances and the design of the tax and benefit system, in particular relating to state and private pensions. Carl is also on the advisory panel of the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Kayley Hignell
Kayley is the Head of Policy for Families, Welfare and Work at Citizens Advice. Prior to joining the national Citizens Advice team Kayley was a frontline adviser at Leeds Citizens Advice where she gave advice on all issues including benefits, debt and housing. She has continued to volunteer as an adviser alongside her policy roles. Kayley has also spent time on secondment to DWP where she worked to bring frontline experience into the early design of Universal Credit.
Phil Jones
Phil has been Chief Executive of the Welsh Social Enterprise, Business in Focus since October 2021. Business in Focus provides a suite of business support services across Wales, including the delivery of the Welsh Government’s flagship ‘Business Wales’ service. Phil was previously the Director of Prince’s Trust Cymru for five years and before that, the Wales Area Manager for The Royal British Legion. Phil also served in the Armed Forces for over 25 years as an officer in The Royal Welsh. His service included a wide variety of operational, training, intelligence, and strategic communications roles worldwide, including the Ministry of Defence.
Seyi Obakin OBE
Seyi is the Chief Executive of Centrepoint, a leading national charity working with young people who have experienced homelessness. He is a chartered accountant and has worked in corporate banking and a wide range of social housing provision. He has also been involved in research and inquiries into family life and the support families need, lifelong literacy and youth enterprise. He is currently a Non-executive Director of HM Prison and Probation Service.
Charlotte Pickles
Charlotte (Charlie) Pickles is Director at Reform. She was previously Reform’s Deputy Director and Head of Research. Prior to returning to Reform, Charlie was Managing Editor at UnHerd.com, the comment and current affairs site.
Charlie has worked in a variety of roles covering:
- working age welfare and pension reform
- criminal justice
- poverty and social exclusion
- service delivery
During the coalition government she was Expert Adviser to Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Before that she was Policy Director at the Centre for Social Justice. Charlie has also spent time working as a management consultant in the public sector practice of a global consultancy firm.
Charlie is also a member of the NHS Assembly.