Appointment confirmed after joint EFRA and Environmental Audit committee hearing, though MPs raised concerns about the recruitment process and urged Ghosh to reinforce the watchdog's independence from government.
Environment secretary Emma Reynolds and Northern Ireland agriculture minister Andrew Muir have confirmed Dame Helen Ghosh as the new chair of the Office for Environmental Protection, succeeding Dame Glenys Stacey from 1 June 2026.
Ghosh was selected following a process under the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Reynolds invited the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and the Environmental Audit Committee to hold a joint pre-appointment hearing, which took place on 28 April. The committees published their report the following day and endorsed her suitability for the role.
However, MPs attached conditions to their endorsement. The joint committee report stated it was essential that Ghosh reinforce both her own independence and that of the OEP from government, citing concerns about the timing and nature of the recruitment process.
Ghosh was Master of Balliol College, Oxford from 2018 to 2026, where she also chaired the Conference of Colleges. Before that, she spent six years as director general of the National Trust. Her civil service career included senior roles at HMRC and permanent secretary posts at both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Home Office. She has also served as a trustee of Action for Conservation.
The OEP was established under the Environment Act 2021 to hold government and public bodies to account on environmental law in England and Northern Ireland. Under Stacey's chairship, the watchdog published a series of reports scrutinising environmental governance, including a May 2025 assessment that found the Environment Agency could only be confident that 64 per cent of regulated waste sites in England were compliant with their permits - far below the headline 97 per cent compliance rate.
Stacey announced last year that she would not seek reappointment when her term ended, choosing to step down to spend more time with her family.
All appointments to the OEP chair are made on merit. In accordance with the Nolan principles, Ghosh has declared no significant political activity in the past five years.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.