Tom Riordan CBE
Biography
Tom Riordan was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in September 2026.
Tom was most recently the Northern Growth Envoy in HM Treasury. Before this, Tom was Chief Operating Officer and Second Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) from September 2024 to January 2026. He also served as Interim Director General for Commercial and Growth between November 2025 and January 2026.
Previously, Tom was the Chief Executive of Leeds City Council since 2010, during which time he led the regeneration of Leeds city centre and modernised services to improve children’s services and pioneer the Home First adult social care programme.
Tom undertook a secondment to NHS Test and Trace in 2020. His earlier career included Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward between 2005 and 2010, and earlier roles in the Department for Environment.
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent Secretary is:
- Head of the Department, responsible for its overall leadership and effective day-to-day running
- Chief Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State and the ministerial team, supporting them to develop and achieve their priorities
- Principal Accounting Officer, responsible and accountable to Parliament for the stewardship of the department’s budget and for ensuring value for money
The Permanent Secretary is a member of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s Board, which advises and supervises on strategic clarity, commercial sense, talented people, management information and delivering results.
He also attends the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.
Previous roles in government
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Interim Director General, Commercial and Growth
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Second Permanent Secretary