{{Short description|British civil servant (born 1947)}} {{BLP sources|date=August 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable | name = The Lord Bichard | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB}} | birth_name = Michael George Bichard | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1947|01|31}} | birth_place = Southampton, Hampshire, England | office1 = Member of the House of Lords | status1 = Lord Temporal | term_label1 = Life peerage | term_start1 = 24 March 2010 | term_end1 = | occupation = Civil servant | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Sian Selves|1969|end=div}} * {{marriage|Christine Wray|1987|end=div}} * Gillian Guy }} | children = 3 | alma_mater = University of Birmingham<br />University of Manchester }}
'''Michael George Bichard, Baron Bichard''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB}} (born 31 January 1947) is a former public servant in the United Kingdom, first in local and then as a civil servant in central government. He was director of the Institute for Government, currently serves as one of its first fellows, and was chair of the Design Council. He was a created a crossbench life peer on 24 March 2010. He is an advisor to The Key Support Services Limited, which provide leadership and management support to school leaders and governors.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} He became chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in 2013.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
== Career == Bichard served as the chief executive of Brent Council between 1980 and 1986, and then of Gloucestershire County Council between 1986 and 1990, when he was appointed chief executive of the Benefits Agency.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stevenson, Alexander |isbn=978-0-7494-6777-7 |title=The Public Sector: Managing The Unmanageable |date=2013 |publisher=Kogan Page}}</ref>
In 1995, Bichard was made Permanent Secretary of the Department for Employment. When it merged with the Department for Education (DfE) to form the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), he became Permanent Secretary of the combined department, under Gillian Shephard, and then, post-1997, David Blunkett. He became extremely close to Blunkett, even at one point intervening personally – according to the National press – to ensure that details of an affair that Blunkett was conducting with his Private Secretary should not become public.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}
During his time as Permanent Secretary, he introduced several modernising reforms to the department, notably in bringing its use of information technology and new media up to date. He oversaw some significant changes to the education policy landscape, such as the introduction of the Learning and Skills Council to fund further education and apprenticeships.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
In May 2001, he retired from the Civil Service, when DfEE and the Department for Social Security were split into the Department for Education and Skills and Department for Work and Pensions.
== After retirement == In September 2001, Bichard was appointed Rector of The University of the Arts London and also served as chairman of the Design Council. In 2004, the Home Secretary David Blunkett (previously Bichard's minister as Secretary of State for Education and Employment) appointed Bichard to chair an inquiry into the "Soham murders" of two 10-year-old girls; the inquiry has since been known as the "Bichard Inquiry".
Bichard was non-executive chairman of RSe Consulting from 2003 to 2008. RSe Consulting provided strategic and management consulting services to local government and became part of Tribal Group Plc in 2008. He was appointed chairman of the Legal Services Commission in April 2005. There he introduced a range of reforming measures aimed at modernising the legal aid system. He was also chairman of the educational charity Rathbone. Bichard left these two roles in September 2008 when he became the Director of the Institute for Government. He became chairman of the board of FILMCLUB, a nationwide after-school film club scheme which is free to state primary and secondary schools.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/nov/02/society-daily-email Announcement], Guardian.com. Accessed 30 November 2022.</ref>
He has been an advisor to Ten Group, the lifestyle concierge and professional support services company, since 2010, supporting the development of its school leader and school governor support services – The Key and Ten Governor Support. Bichard came in for criticism in October 2012 when he suggested that retired people should contribute to society by doing community work in order to help the state or lose their pension. Robert Oxley of the Tax Payers Alliance said "it's a bit rich from a civil servant who was able to retire early to lecture us on working during retirement".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hall |first=Macer |newspaper=Daily Express |title=OAPs told, work or lose pension |url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/354264 |date=25 October 2012}}</ref>
He became chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in 2013. He is chair of the international editorial board of Public Money & Management and chairs the journal's annual PMM Live! event.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
Following a governance scandal at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, in December 2021, the RICS announced Bichard would lead a six-month review into its governance and future purpose.<ref name="Lowe-02Dec2021">{{cite news |last1=Lowe |first1=Tom |title=RICS appoints former senior civil servant to lead future purpose review|url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/rics-appoints-former-senior-civil-servant-to-lead-future-purpose-review/5115030.article |access-date=2 December 2021 |work=Building |date=2 December 2021}}</ref> The 68-page Bichard review, recommending sweeping reforms, was published on 21 June 2022.<ref name="Lowe-21Jun2022">{{cite news |last1=Lowe |first1=Tom |title=RICS to remain 'truly international institution', leadership says as Bichard publishes review |url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/rics-to-remain-truly-international-institution-leadership-says-as-bichard-publishes-review/5118050.article |access-date=22 June 2022 |work=Building |date=21 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="shoffman-21Jun2022">{{cite news |last1=Schoffman |first1=Marc |title=Bichard RICS Review: Need for change is 'urgent' and 'unarguable' |url=https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2022/6/bichard-rics-review-need-for-change-is-urgent-and-unarguable |access-date=22 June 2022 |work=Estate Agent Today |date=21 June 2022}}</ref>
Bichard said: "My aim has been to help create a new sense of purpose and direction so that RICS can once more stand tall as an exemplar professional institution."<ref name="shoffman-21Jun2022"/> In August 2022, Bichard was appointed as interim senior independent governor through to 31 December 2023, responsible for scrutinising the actions of the RICS' governing council and committees.<ref name="Lowe-09Aug2022">{{cite news |last1=Lowe |first1=Tom |title=Michael Bichard appointed to senior RICS position|url=https://www.building.co.uk/news/michael-bichard-appointed-to-senior-rics-position/5118704.article |access-date=9 August 2022 |work=Building |date=9 August 2022}}</ref>
In April 2022, he was announced as the new Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire, succeeding Baroness Rennie Fritchie.<ref>[https://www.glos.ac.uk/content/new-chancellor-appointed-by-university-of-gloucestershire Announcement], glos.ac.uk. Accessed 30 November 2022.</ref>
== Honours and peerage == Bichard was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1999 Birthday Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=55513 |date=12 June 1999 |page=3 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1999/06/99/queens_birthday_honours/366660.stm |title=Queen's Birthday Honours: Order of the Bath |author=BBC News |date=12 June 1999 |access-date=6 February 2010}}</ref> On the recommendation of the House of Lords Appointments Commission, he was created a life peer on 24 March 2010,<ref>[http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/mps_and_lords/new_members.cfm New Peers since 1 January 2010] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524081629/http://www.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/mps_and_lords/new_members.cfm |date=24 May 2009 }}</ref> as '''Baron Bichard''', ''of Nailsworth in the County of Gloucestershire''.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59377 |page=5439 |date=29 March 2010}}</ref> He was introduced in the House of Lords on 29 March,<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldordpap.htm House of Lords – Minute]</ref> where he sits on the crossbenches.
== Offices held == {{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{s-bef|before=Vincent Scroggins}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, <br /> Department for Employment |years=1990–1995}} {{s-aft|after=Peter Mathison}}
{{s-bef|before=Sir Nicholas Monck}} {{s-ttl|title=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Employment |years=1995}} {{s-aft|after=Himself |as=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Education and Employment}}
{{s-bef|before=Himself |as=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Employment}} {{s-ttl|title=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Education and Employment |years=1995–2001 |rows=2}} {{s-aft|after=Sir David Normington |as=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Education and Skills}} {{s-bef|before=Sir Timothy Lankester |as=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Education}} {{s-aft|after=Rachel Lomax |as=Permanent Secretary of the <br /> Department for Work and Pensions}} {{s-end}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[https://web.archive.org/web/20081225004302/http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/operational-policing/bichard-inquiry-report?view=Binary The Bichard Report. Retrieved 20/2/2009] *[http://www.bichardinquiry.org.uk/ The Bichard Inquiry's official site] *[http://www.legalservices.gov.uk The Legal Services Commission website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070228054521/http://www.rseconsulting.co.uk/ RSe Consulting company website] *[http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk Institute for Government website] *[http://www.tengroup.com Ten Group company website] * [http://www.scie.org.uk/ The Social Care Institute for Excellence]
{{s-start}} {{s-prec|uk}} {{s-bef|before=The Lord Kakkar}} {{s-ttl|title=Gentlemen'''<br />''Baron Bichard'' '''}} {{s-fol|after=The Lord Hill of Oareford}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bichard, Michael}} Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for employment Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for education and employment Category:Living people Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Category:Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission Category:Crossbench life peers Category:1947 births Category:People from Nailsworth Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II Category:Alumni of the University of Birmingham