Five Deputy Traffic Commissioner appointments have been made in England, with those individuals to provide “invaluable support” to Traffic Commissioners.
All bring legal experience with them. Three will be based in Cambridge: Kate Grimley Evans, Rakesh Sharma and Mair Williams. One – Giles Pengelly – will be based in Birmingham, and the fifth appointee – Tehniat Watson – will sit in Eastbourne.
Ms Grimley Evans is an information law solicitor, including around GDPR and freedom of information. She qualified as a solicitor in 2004 and sits as a specialist member of the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights) and as a member of the Advisory Council on the National Records and Archives.
Mr Sharma is a Solicitor-Advocate with a background in crime, military and professional discipline. He currently sits as an Independent Member of the Parole Board for England and Wales.
Ms Williams has a background in criminal law, dispute resolution, and investigations, while Mr Pengelly also has a background in criminal law and sits as a Legally Qualified Person of the Police Misconduct Panels; he is also legal adviser to the Panels.
Ms Watson is a Solicitor Advocate and is experienced in public law and child protection and adoption. She also sits in sports and healthcare regulation.
The Deputy Traffic Commissioner role is part-time, and the five new appointments join an existing team in that position.
Meanwhile, it is understood that a permanent Traffic Commissioner for Scotland is due to be appointed over the coming months. That position has been vacant since the departure of Claire Gilmore in 2024.
In April, Richard Turfitt was named Acting Traffic Commissioner for Scotland in addition to his established position as Traffic Commissioner for the East of England and – at the time – Senior Traffic Commissioner before he handed that responsibility over to current postholder Kevin Rooney.
An application page for the permanent position on the gov.uk website notes that the application process opened on 17 March with a deadline of 28 April. Interviews were expected to end on 22 August.
