Lord Bob Kerslake: Former Civil Service head dies aged 68

Lord Bob Kerslake, a former head of the Civil Service, has died at the age of 68.

Kerslake, who had been diagnosed with cancer, died on Saturday, his sister and daughter announced on Twitter.

Lord Kerslake led the Civil Service between January 2012 and September 2014, during David Cameron's coalition government.

He had recently been working with the Labour Party on its preparations for the next general election.

At the time of Lord Kerslake's appointment in 2012, Mr Cameron said he would bring a "wealth of experience" to the role.

Lord Kerslake was also permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2015 - he retained this role when he became the head of the service.

Bath-born Lord Kerslake started his career in local government with the Greater London Council, and was knighted in the 2005 New Year honours list for services to local government.

He served as chief executive of the Sheffield City Council between 1997 and 2008, before heading to the Homes and Communities Agency.

After leaving the Civil Service in 2015, Lord Kerslake became chair of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and chair of the board of governors at Sheffield Hallam University.

He was introduced as a crossbench life peer in the House of Lords in 2015.

Following the news of his death, deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner described Lord Kerslake as "a good, kind and principled man" who was a "devoted public servant" and "full of wisdom".

The chairman of the FDA union, David Penman, said he was "an engaging and committed leader of the Civil Service".