Tom's role includes taking forward the negotiation and agreement of five local area agreements within Tyne and Wear, as well as leading the Government Office engagement with local government and partners within that area. He is also responsible for helping to develop a new multi area agreement across the Tyne and Wear city region to improvement economic development, employability and transport connectivity.
After graduating from Durham University, Tom worked in Wandsworth as a youth and community worker, before joining the civil service in 1993. He commenced his civil service career in the Department of Transport working on local transport planning and helping to produce an integrated transport strategy for London. After spells in the Government Office for London, and International Shipping (where he chaired the environmental enforcement sub-group of the International Maritime Organization), Tom moved to the Government Office for the North East in 1998, helping set the new Government’s New Deal for Communities programme within the region.
After a short spell leading the region’s work on education, Tom took over as lead strategic advisor to local strategic partnerships within Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in April 2004, as well as acting as interim chair of the Sunderland New Deal for Communities partnership. In March 2005, he combined this role with operating as the lead partner for central government to Gateshead Council, helping the development of their sustainable community strategy and local area agreement, while also successfully studying for his masters degree at Northumbria University.
Tom took over his current role in September 2007. He is a Member of the Institution of Economic Development, and is married with two young children. He tries to keep his allotment productive, weed-free and organic, play badminton semi-competitively and is a member of a local church.
