Queen’s New Year Honours 2022: Local Government Association chief executive Cambridge’s Mark Lloyd awarded CBE

The chief executive of the Local Government Association (LGA) Mark Lloyd has been awarded a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.

Mr Lloyd, who lives in Cambridge with his wife, Shan, and his two children, Bella, 10, and Henry, nine, has been awarded a CBE for services to local government and charity.

He started his career in local government at Durham County Council in 2000 where he led on economic development before becoming the authority’s chief executive in 2005 - the youngest person to hold such a role.

In 2008, Mr Lloyd, a former trustee of the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, moved to Cambridgeshire County Council as chief executive and in 2015, he was appointed to the national role of chief executive of the LGA, representing and supporting councils across the country.

Since then he has worked with the LGA’s political leadership and member councils to continuously help public services improve across adult and children’s services, public health, transport, waste and recycling, protecting the environment, housing and planning, job creation and business support.

Mr Lloyd, who coaches the under 9’s players at Cambridge Rugby Club, has also been instrumental in supporting councils throughout the COVID-19 pandemic ensuring they have all the powers and resources needed to protect and support communities and businesses and to support the vaccination roll out.

He said: “I am really pleased and extremely humbled to receive this award. I work with amazing people at the LGA and across the whole of local government. Together we are doing everything we possibly can to change people’s lives for the better.

“I am truly grateful to all my colleagues, my family and my friends who support me to make the contribution I do and enjoy so much.

“I am inspired every day by the tireless work of councillors and council staff to do the best for their communities up and down the country. Many congratulations to all of those in local government recognised in these New Year’s Honours.”

LGA chairman, Cllr James Jamieson OBE, said: “Mark is a fabulous advocate for local government. He provides unwavering support for councils across the country and represents local government brilliantly in every negotiation with central government and other partners. I’m delighted to see his enormous contribution recognised.”

Mark grew up in Gobowen, Shropshire and was educated at the former Oswestry Technical College.

The son of former Oswestry Borough Council leader and Shropshire councillor the late David Lloyd MBE and Joan Lloyd, and has three brothers Clive, Martin and John, who all still currently reside and work in the Oswestry area. He is a Patron of The Whitehall and Industry Group.

At the beginning of his career, Mr Lloyd worked for the Department of Employment in Oswestry Unemployment Benefit Office, Wrexham, Welshpool and Newtown Jobcentres and at the Powys Training and Enterprise Council.

Earning non-graduate entry into the civil service fast-stream, he worked on the Arms to Iraq Inquiry led by Lord Justice Scott (aka The ‘Supergun’ Inquiry) before taking on director-level roles at Central England Training & Enterprise Council and at Bolton & Bury Chamber of Commerce Training and Enterprise. Mark then became chief executive of the County Durham Training and Enterprise Council and Business Link before joining Durham County Council. He is also a former chair of the Association of County Chief Executives.

While in County Durham, Mark studied part-time at the University of Durham‘s Business School graduating as a Master in Business Administration (with Distinction). He also sat on Durham University’s governing council and later served as a board member at Anglia Ruskin University.