Lesley Strathie
Encyclopedia
Dame Lesley Ann Strathie, DCB
is a British Civil Servant. She recently stepped down as Chief Executive of and Permanent Secretary to HM Revenue and Customs due to ill health..
She started her career in government in the Scottish Department of Health and Social Security, before moving to London in 1984. She was made Chief Operating Officer of Jobcentre Plus
in 2003, and succeeded David Anderson as Acting Chief Executive on 16 May 2005 before being confirmed on 13 October; this appointment also made her the Second Permanent Secretary
to the Department for Work and Pensions
.
In November 2008 she was appointed Chief Executive of and Permanent Secretary to HM Revenue and Customs, succeeding Dave Hartnett
who had worked as Acting Chief Executive and Chairman after the resignation of Paul Gray
.
She continued to decrease HMRC staff by thousands and closing hundreds of tax offices despite complaints that this resulted in a worse service to taxpayers and many critical reports by the Committee of Public Accounts. On 10 June 2010, Strathie appeared on the BBC One
flagship consumer programme Watchdog as a result of complaints against HMRC, mainly about the high level of mistakes.
Lesley stood down as Chief Executive from HMRC on 9 November 2011 to concentrate on her further treatment for cancer.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
is a British Civil Servant. She recently stepped down as Chief Executive of and Permanent Secretary to HM Revenue and Customs due to ill health..
She started her career in government in the Scottish Department of Health and Social Security, before moving to London in 1984. She was made Chief Operating Officer of Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
in 2003, and succeeded David Anderson as Acting Chief Executive on 16 May 2005 before being confirmed on 13 October; this appointment also made her the Second Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
to the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
.
In November 2008 she was appointed Chief Executive of and Permanent Secretary to HM Revenue and Customs, succeeding Dave Hartnett
Dave Hartnett
David Anthony "Dave" Hartnett CB is a British civil servant who is currently serving as the Permanent Secretary for Tax at HM Revenue and Customs .-Career:...
who had worked as Acting Chief Executive and Chairman after the resignation of Paul Gray
Paul Gray (civil servant)
Paul Richard Charles Gray, CB was a British civil servant who was Chairman of HM Revenue & Customs until he resigned on 20 November 2007.- Early career :...
.
She continued to decrease HMRC staff by thousands and closing hundreds of tax offices despite complaints that this resulted in a worse service to taxpayers and many critical reports by the Committee of Public Accounts. On 10 June 2010, Strathie appeared on the BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
flagship consumer programme Watchdog as a result of complaints against HMRC, mainly about the high level of mistakes.
Lesley stood down as Chief Executive from HMRC on 9 November 2011 to concentrate on her further treatment for cancer.