Ex-deputy leader on sports regulator

A former deputy chief executive at Sunderland City Council has been reappointed to one of the organisations working to get football fans back into stadiums.

Janet Johnson will keep her seat on the board of the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SSGA) for another three years.

The SSGA is responsible for approving safety measures at the 90 grounds used by thePremierLeague and English Football League, allowing them to admit spectators.

It also oversees London’s Wembley Stadium and the Principality Stadium, in Wales, and local authorities, which are responsible certifying venues comply with regulations.

Johnson was also chief executive of the former Easington District Council from 2004-2009, before it was abolished and replaced by

Durham County Council.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport confirmed her reappointment to the SSGA’s board on October 8. She was first handed a seat on the panel in 2017, alongside Dr Rimla Akhtar, the first Muslim and Asian woman to sit on the FA Council and who has also been reappointed.

Johnson, a mum of three, took early retirement in 2015 and is described as a “keen follower of football and cricket”. She quit Sunderland council in 2015, shortly beforeherformerboss,council chief executive Dr Dave Smith, announced he was also stepping down.

Board members at the SSGA receive £265 per day for their work overseeing the organisation, for which Johnson received £2,385 in 2019/20, according to the organisation’s most recent annual report.