Tim Byles is the new Chief Executive at Partnerships for Schools. A career bureaucrat, Mr Byles is currently Chief Executive of Norfolk County Council and prior to that was the Director of Economic Development at Kent County Council.

The terms ‘frying pan’ and ‘fire’ spring to mind when one considers what the Chief Executive of P4S has in front of him. Richard Bowker, the previous incumbent, was well versed in dealing with complicated political and business problems and yet even he lasted just 8 short months before departing for greener pastures.

The first thing Mr Byles will have to do is to reassure the companies who have already won BSF work that all is OK. We have heard that Skanska, BT and several other companies who have won work in BSF Wave One, met recently with the government to complain bitterly about their experiences so far. The original ideas of transforming education via BSF now seem like a fine idea that has been trumped by larger pragmatic concerns about how to spend £45bn building or rebuilding 3500 secondary schools over the next 15 years.

Mr Byles has a huge task in front of him and we wish him well, but suggest he keep a weather eye on his political masters, in case they want someone to sacrifice as the next election draws ever closer.

·   www.p4s.org.uk

·   www.skanska.co.uk