A raft of appointments has been announced as Whitehall attempts to get the troubled Thames Gateway initiative back on track. The Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP) revealed former lord chancellor, Lord Falconer, had been appointed as its independent chairman. The CLG has stepped up control in a bid to speed up delivery of homes and jobs to communities in the Thames estuary as concern is mounting at the lack of progress. The department has also created a team of 14 officials to focus on the Gateway. The appointment was followed by confirmation by housing ministerMargaret Beckett that Bob Lane, former chief executive of Catalyst Corby and North Northants Development Company had become chairman of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.