Wigan MBC chief executive, Joyce Redfearn, has been made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, while Barnsley's chief, Philip Coppard, has been made an OBE. Ms Redfearn, who joined Wigan in 2005, also chairs the RIEPs' chief executives' task group. Former Westminster City Council chief executive, Peter Rogers, now head of the London Development Agency, has been knighted. There were honours for local politicians including Salford City Council leader, John Merry (CBE); Lady Elizabeth Brighouse, Labour group leader at Oxfordshire CC (OBE); Keith Ross, leader of West Somerset DC and the of the Independent group on the LGA (OBE); Roger Stone, leader of Rotherham MBC (OBE); and Judith Dalgarno, deputy leader of Stafford BC. Officers awarded included Peter Hawthorne, head of 14-19 development at Wolverhampton MBC (CBE); Anne Williams, ex-head of health and social care at Salford City (CBE); Martin Cheeseman, director of housing and community care, Brent LBC (OBE); Dorothy Allen, ex-head of libraries at Wandsworth LBC (MBE); and Victoria Rosin, assistant chief executive, cultural services, Manchester City Council (MBE); and Tony Durcan, head of culture at Newcastle City Council (OBE). Margaret Haskell, HR head at Avon Fire and Rescue, was made an OBE, as was Louis Jones, deputy chief fire officer, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. John Findlay, chief executive of the parishes association, the National Association of Local Councils, was made an OBE; while former social services chief inspector, Paul Snell, was made a CBE, and veteran Audit Commission director, Peter Wilkinson, a CBE.
