Richard Buxton

Before this Richard was an Executive Director of the Legal Aid Board, where he carried out fundamental changes to the legal aid system. In this role he was directly responsible for a staff of more than 1,300, based in 11 regional offices, each headed by a regional manager. He was responsible for a budget of £1.6 billion, funded by public expenditure.

When the Legal Services Commission was set up in April 2000, the Lord Chancellor appointed him as a Member of the Commission as well as carrying out the role of Executive Director (Operations).

Before joining the Legal Aid Board, Richard was Director of Housing at Westminster City Council. He came to this role in the wake of the 'homes for votes' scandal and completely overhauled the department. Customer services improved; staff productivity rose; and new partnerships were formed to tackle unemployment and crime on large housing estates.

In his early career Richard was a senior management consultant with Capita and Coopers & Lybrand, where he advised a wide range of public sector clients on managing change and improving performance.