Decision

Advice letter: David Kuenssberg, Chief Finance Officer, London Borough of Redbridge

Published 12 August 2025

1. BUSINESS APPOINTMENT APPLICATION: David Kuenssberg, former Director General, Corporate and Delivery, the Home Office - paid appointment with London Borough of Redbridge.

Mr Kuenssberg approached the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (the Committee) under the government’s Business Appointment Rules for Former Crown Servants (the Rules) on a paid appointment with London Borough of Redbridge as Chief Finance Officer.

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. The Committee has considered the risks associated with the actions and decisions made during an applicant’s time in office, alongside the information and influence he may offer London Borough of Redbridge. The material information taken into consideration by the Committee is set out in the annex.

The Committee’s advice is not an endorsement of the appointment - it imposes a number of conditions to mitigate the potential risks to the government associated with the appointment under the Rules.

The Rules^{[footnote 1]} set out that Crown servants must abide by the Committee’s advice. It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment. Former Crown servants are expected to uphold the highest standards of propriety and act in accordance with the 7 Principles of Public life.

2. The Committee’s consideration of the risk presented

The London Borough of Redbridge is a local authority - one of 32 London boroughs.

There is limited overlap between Mr Kuenssberg’s role at the Home Office - with the only particularly relevant departmental policy related to the housing of asylum seekers. He made no decisions specific to the London Borough of Redbridge or any other local authority. Further, Mr Kuenssberg applied for a publicly advertised role. Therefore the Committee^{[footnote 2]} considered the risk that this role could reasonably be seen as reward for decisions made in office is low.

The Home Office said that Mr Kuenssberg does not have any privileged information that would provide the London Borough of Redbridge with any unfair advantage, especially when considering the lack of competitors. The Committee agrees the risks here are limited.

The Committee considered the risks associated with Mr Kuenssberg’s influence and network of contacts gained whilst in office. As Chief Finance Officer, he may have contact with government through his engagement with bodies representing local authorities. Given this is a role with a local authority which already has a framework for contact with government, the Committee considered the risk he would offer an unfair advantage or unfair access is limited. The contact he has described is in keeping with the lobbying ban that applies to all former officials -though he must be careful not to take action that could be seen as making improper use of his contacts or influence from his recent role in government.

It is also relevant that this is a continuation of work within finance, of which Mr Kuenssberg has years of experience, from before his time at the Home Office. This includes a previous finance role in a local authority.

3. The Committee’s advice

The Committee did not consider this appointment raised any particular It is the Committee’s view that, generally, where interactions between the government and a public organisation delivering for the citizens are done transparently and on the record - there is a limited risk for undue influence and his contact will be in keeping with the conditions.

The Committee considered that the remaining risks associated with this application can be appropriately mitigated by the conditions below. These make it clear that Mr Kuenssberg cannot make use of his access to privileged information, contacts or influence gained from his time in ministerial office to the unfair benefit of the London Borough of Redbridge.

In accordance with the government’s Business Appointment Rules, the Committee advises that this appointment with The London Borough of Redbridge be subject to the following conditions:

• for two years from his last day in Crown service he should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service;

• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies on behalf of the London Borough of Redbridge (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). This condition is not intended to prevent Mr Kuenssberg from undertaking the duties as Chief Finance Officer as described above. However, it prevents him from making use, directly or indirectly of his contacts in the government and/or Crown service to secure funding or otherwise unfairly benefit the London Borough of Redbridge (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners or clients);

• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not provide advice to or on behalf of the London Borough of Redbridge (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the terms of a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of the UK government or any of its arm’s length bodies.

The advice and the conditions under the government’s Business Appointment Rules relate to an applicant’s previous role in government only; they are separate from rules administered by other bodies such as the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and the Registrar of Lords’ Interests.^{[footnote 3]} It is an applicant’s personal responsibility to understand any other rules and regulations they may be subject to in parallel with this Committee’s advice.

By ‘privileged information’ we mean official information to which a minister or Crown servant has had access as a consequence of his or her office or employment and which has not been made publicly available. Applicants are also reminded that they may be subject to other duties of confidentiality, whether under the Official Secrets Act, the Civil Service Code or otherwise.

The Business Appointment Rules explain that the restriction on lobbying means that the former Crown servant/minister ’’should not engage in communication with government (ministers, civil servants, including special advisers, and other relevant officials/public office holders) – wherever it takes place - with a view to influencing a government decision, policy or contract award/grant in relation to their own interests or the interests of the organisation by which they are employed, or to whom they are contracted or with which they hold office.’

Mr Kuenssberg must inform us as soon as he takes up employment with this organisation, or if it is announced that he will do so. He must also inform us if he proposes to extend or otherwise change the nature of his role as, depending on the circumstances, it may be necessary for him to make a fresh application.

Once the appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, we will publish this letter on the Committee’s website, and where appropriate, refer to it in the relevant annual report.

4. Annex - Material Information

4.1 The role

The London borough of Redbridge is a local authority and one of the 32 boroughs that make up London.

In his paid, full-time role as Chief Finance Officer, Mr Kuenssberg has said that his core responsibility is to have oversight of the local authority’s finance, commercial, IT, and assurance functions. Mr Kuenssberg notes that the scope of this role may change over time to involve other corporate services, however this is not certain. The finance element of the role involves the statutory ‘section 151 officer’ responsibility, which has powers under the 1972 Local Government Act to refer the council to MHCLG if there are serious concerns over the council’s ability to set a balanced budget and meet its financial liabilities.

Mr Kuenssberg said that this role could involve some contact with the Home Office, most likely relating to the placement of asylum seekers in accommodation in the Redbridge area. The role will involve engagement with bodies such as the Greater London Authority, London Councils, Local Government Association, CIPFA, and the Society for London Treasurers.

Mr Kuenssberg said he applied for the role and that it was an open competition advertised publicly.

4.2 Dealings in office

Mr Kuenssberg said he had no contact with the London Borough of Redbridge during his time in Crown service.

Mr Kuenssberg made no decisions specific to the London Borough of Redbridge whilst in Crown service.

4.3 Departmental assessment

The Home Office confirmed the details Mr Kuenssberg provided and confirmed that he made no decisions specific to the London Borough of Redbridge and he had no access to information that could unfairly advantage the London Borough of Redbridge.

The Home Office recommended standard conditions.

1. Which apply by virtue of the Civil Service Management Code, The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, The King’s Regulations and the Diplomatic Service Code. ↩

2. This application for advice was considered by; Isabel Doverty, Sarah de Gay; Hedley Finn OBE; Michael Prescott; and Baroness Thornton. Mr. Dawid Konotey-Ahulu CBE was unavailable. ↩

3. All Peers and Members of Parliament are prevented from paid lobbying under the House of Commons Code of Conduct and the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords. Advice on obligations under the Code can be sought from the Parliamentary Commissioners for Standards, in the case of MPs, or the Registrar of Lords’ Interests, in the case of peers. ↩