Lin Homer

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{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = Dame

| name = Lin Homer

| office = Permanent Secretary of the
Department for Transport

| honorific_suffix = DCB

| image = Lin Homer.jpg

| alt = Photo of Lin Homer, smiling

| caption = Lin Homer, July 2013

| minister = Philip Hammond
Justine Greening

| predecessor = Robert Devereux

| successor = Philip Rutnam

| minister2 = George Osborne

| office2 = Permanent Secretary
of HM Revenue and Customs

| predecessor2 = Lesley Strathie

| successor2 = Jon Thompson

| birth_name = Linda Margaret Homer

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|3|4|df=y}}

| birth_place = Norfolk, England, UK

| nationality = British

| occupation = Civil servant

| term_start = 2011

| term_end = 2011

| term_start2 = 2012

| term_end2 = April 2016

}}

Dame Linda Margaret Homer, {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|DCB}} (born 4 March 1957) is a retired British civil servant who served as chief executive of HM Revenue and Customs between 2012 and 2016.

Early life

Homer was born in Sheringham, Norfolk, and educated in Beccles, Suffolk at Sir John Leman High School, where she served as head girl. She attended University College London, where she obtained an LLB degree.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U59512|title=HOMER, Dame Linda Margaret|date=November 2016|website=Who's who|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=25 January 2017}}

Career

Homer qualified as a lawyer in 1980 whilst at Reading Borough Council. In 1982, she joined Hertfordshire County Council where she stayed for 15 years, rising to director of corporate services. She then left to join Suffolk County Council as chief executive in 1998. After four years at Suffolk, Homer went on to be the chief executive of Birmingham City Council in 2002 and joined the civil service in 2005.

In 2005, Homer was criticised by the Election Commissioner for failings in her role as returning officer during a postal vote-rigging scandal involving Labour candidates the previous year, described by the Commissioner as one that "would disgrace a banana republic", and involving hundreds of votes failing to be counted.[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/4406575.stm Judge upholds vote-rigging claims BBC 4 April 2005] Homer defended her role to the Election Commission, saying she had been in "strategic, not operational control", and had confined herself to "motivational management and fire fighting".[http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/tm_objectid=15602602&method=full&siteid=50002-name_page.html City Chief Executive was doomed to go Birmingham Post 7 June 2005]

= Home Office =

Homer resigned from her post shortly afterwards, joining the civil service as the Director-General heading the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office, in August 2005.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4613997.stm|title=New immigration chief appointed|author=BBC News|author-link=BBC News|date=6 June 2005|publisher=BBC|accessdate=5 January 2011}}

The Home Office was re-organised in 2008, with the formation of the Border and Immigration Agency, later renamed the UK Border Agency, of which Homer became the first chief executive.{{cite web|url=http://www.guardianpublic.co.uk/lin-homer-permanent-secretary-walker-blog|title=Homer's odyssey around Whitehall|first=David|last=Walker|date=16 December 2010|publisher=Guardian public|accessdate=5 January 2011}}

In 2013, Homer's tenure at UKBA was criticised for its "catastrophic leadership failure" by the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, which said it had been repeatedly misled by the Agency. Committee chairman Keith Vaz said her performance was "more like the scene of a Whitehall farce than a government agency operating in the 21st century".[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/mar/25/mps-hmrc-chief-border-agency Committee accuses Lin Homer of repeatedly misleading parliament over size of backlogs while in previous role The Guardian26 March 2013] Homer responded in a letter to the committee, saying that "The suggestion that I deliberately misled the Committee and refused to apologise are both untrue and unfair," adding that "It is therefore wholly inaccurate and unfair to seek to ascribe responsibility to me for matters of concern that occurred long after I left the Agency."[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21920116 Border Agency condemned over backlog], BBC News, 25 March 2013.

=Department for Transport=

In 2010 it was announced that Homer would replace Robert Devereux as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport (DfT).{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U59512|title=HOMER, Linda Margaret|author=A & C Black|year=2011|work=Who's Who 2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=5 January 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=416935&SubjectId=2 |title=New Permanent Secretary for Department for Transport |author=Department for Transport |author-link=Department for Transport |date=6 December 2010 |publisher=COI |accessdate=5 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308201703/http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=416935&SubjectId=2 |archivedate= 8 March 2012 }} While serving in this role, the DfT oversaw with the controversial franchise letting process for the InterCity West Coast rail franchise that had to be cancelled after significant technical flaws were later discovered in awarding the franchise to FirstGroup.[https://www.railwaygazette.com/policy/all-franchising-on-hold-as-intercity-west-coast-award-cancelled/37375.article All franchising on hold as InterCity West Coast award cancelled] Railway Gazette International 3 October 2012 Homer was among officials accused by Richard Branson, head of the Virgin Rail Group, of ignoring concerns about the letting process, whose failure is estimated to have cost £100 million.[http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/350570/Rail-fiasco-boss-was-at-failing-UKBA "Rail fiasco boss was at failing UKBA"], Daily Express, 7 October 2012.

= HM Revenue and Customs =

In December 2011 it was announced that Homer would succeed Lesley Strathie as Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2011/dec/09/lin-homer-top-job-hmrc|title=Lin Homer to take top job at HMRC|newspaper=Guardian|location=London, UK|first=Arun|last=Marsh|date=9 December 2011|accessdate=4 March 2012}} Homer's appointment to head of HMRC prompted criticism centred on her record in previous positions.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21923009 "Keith Vaz: Lin Homer leadership 'surprising'"], BBC News, 25 March 2013. However, her appointment was supported by David Gauke, the Exchequer Secretary to the UK Treasury, who said: "She is a highly effective chief executive and the right person to lead HMRC."[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9951027/MPs-criticise-catastrophic-leadership-failure-of-former-Border-Agency-chief-over-asylum-backlog-she-now-runs-HMRC.html "MPs criticise catastrophic leadership failure of former Border Agency chief over asylum backlog"], Daily Telegraph, 25 March 2013.

In March 2013, HMRC was criticised by the House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee for its "unambitious and woefully inadequate" response [http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/article/mps-expose-woeful-hmrc-phone-service/538987 MPs expose woeful HMRC phone service], AccountingWeb.co.uk, 18 March 2013.{{cite web |title=Taxman keeps 16 million people hanging on the telephone |date=2013-01-29 |website=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124104202/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jan/29/hmrc-tax-hotline-customer-service |archive-date=2022-01-24 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/jan/29/hmrc-tax-hotline-customer-service}} to a report from the UK National Audit Office in December 2012 concerning poor customer service by HMRC.[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/dec/18/phone-calls-hmrc-advice-lines Phone calls to poorly-staffed HMRC advice lines cost taxpayers millions The Guardian 18 December 2012]

Homer said {{When|date=December 2017}} the agency had "turned a corner" in dealing with the 79 million calls and 25 million pieces of post received by HMRC each year, having injected £34 million to tackle the problem with that aim of reaching a 90 per cent success rate.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21826843 "HMRC customer service has 'turned a corner'"], bbc.co.uk; accessed 11 February 2016. As of 2015, Homer was paid a salary of between £185,000 and £189,999 by the department, making her one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview|title=Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK|date=17 December 2015|website=gov.uk|access-date=13 March 2016}}

On 11 January 2016, Homer announced she would retire from her post as chief executive of HMRC in April of that year.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35281978|title=HMRC chief executive to quit post|work=BBC News|date=11 January 2016|accessdate=26 January 2016}} Reviewing her performance following another summons by the Public Accounts Committee, just before retirement, she was nicknamed "Dame Disaster" by The Guardian's John Crace.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/13/lin-homer-dame-disaster|title=Lin Homer, Dame Disaster, puts in a classic display before MPs|work=Guardian newspapers|author=John Grace|date=13 January 2016|accessdate=4 November 2016}}

She was succeeded by Jon Thompson.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-executive-chair-and-chief-executive-officer-appointed-to-lead-hm-revenue-customs|title=New Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer appointed to lead HM Revenue & Customs - Press releases - GOV.UK|website=www.gov.uk|access-date=2016-03-06}}

Honours

Homer was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2008 Birthday Honours,{{London Gazette|issue=58729|date=14 June 2008|page=2|supp=1}} and Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB) in the 2016 New Year Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=61450|supp=y|page=N3|date=30 December 2015}}{{cite web|title=New Year's Honours 2016 list|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/489049/NY2016HonoursFullList.pdf|website=GOV.UK|accessdate=30 December 2015|date=30 December 2015}}