The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Police turn to Deacon’s blues with new leader
Former Labour health minister Susan Deacon has been appointed as the new chairwoman of Scotland’s police oversight body.
Ms Deacon replaces Andrew Flanagan in the Scottish Police Authority role, and will be in post for four years.
Mr Flanagan announced his intention to resign in June amid ongoing controversy over his conduct and wider issues surrounding transparency.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: “As a former parliamentarian and minister with considerable experience in highprofile board posts, she will bring a fresh perspective to the governance of Scottish policing.”
Ms Deacon served as an MSP from 1999 to 2007, and was Scotland’s first health minister following devolution. She is currently assistant principal external relations at the University of Edinburgh, chairwoman of the Institute of Directors in Scotland, chairwoman of the Edinburgh Festivals Forum and a non-executive director of Lothian Buses.
She said: “The issues facing the SPA have been well documented and there is much to be learned from what has gone before.”
Her appointment follows cross-party criticism of the SPA, with MSPs calling for an overhaul of its leadership earlier this year.
Two Holyrood committees investigated governance at the organisation after a board member quit in a row over meetings being held behind closed doors, and Mr Flanagan’s
“SPA has faced a deluge of bad news over the past 12 months”
failure to circulate critical correspondence.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur said: “The SPA has faced a deluge of bad news over the past 12 months, from accusations of a culture of secrecy to a breakdown of managerial relationships. It is essential that the new chair works with the incoming chief executive to get to grips with these challenges so that public confidence can be restored going forward.”