Dame Martina Milburn announces that she is resigning as Chairman of the Social Mobility Commission

Dame Martina Milburn announces that she is resigning as Chairman of the @SMCommission and @GavinWilliamson the Secretary of State for Education’s response 

Today (5 May), Dame Martina Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, has announced she has stepped down as Chair of the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) from the end May 2020 so she can devote more time to her main role as Group Chief Executive of the Prince’s Trust. Interim arrangements will be put in place as soon as possible.

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

“We are extremely grateful to Dame Martina Milburn for her work as chair of the Social Mobility Commission over the past two years and wish her well in continuing her role as Group Chief Executive of the Prince’s Trust.

“This Government is committed to levelling up skills and opportunities for everyone and it is more important than ever that we do everything possible to make sure every child, whatever their background, can achieve their potential.

“Despite the current challenges, our work to improve social mobility is continuing. We have announced an extra £18 million to extend the Opportunity Area programme and have recently invested a further £12 million in our Social Mobility Innovation Fund, so that these projects can continue their good work in their communities. Schools are also continuing to receive additional funding in the form of the pupil premium – worth around £2.4 billion annually – to help them in continuing their support for their disadvantaged pupils.”

Dame Martina said:

“I have made the difficult decision to resign from my role as Chair of the Social Mobility Commission to devote 100 per cent of my time to my role as Group Chief Executive of The Prince’s Trust. My responsibilities now cover a number of countries all of which are facing hardships due to COVID-19 and need additional support.

“I am extremely proud of what I have achieved at the Commission over the last 2 years, including appointing 12 very diverse commissioners and producing a number of key research reports with many more in the pipeline. I hope the SMC, under a new Chair, continues this very important work, which remains as critical as ever at this time.”

Documents

Letter from Dame Martina Milburn to the Prime Minister

PDF, 110KB, 2 pages

Letter from Gavin Williamson, Secretary of State for Education, to Dame Martina Milburn

PDF, 101KB, 1 page