Overview
- The Department for Work and Pensions announced on Wednesday that Dr Sam Royston will join the Social Security Advisory Committee for a five-year term starting 1 July 2026.
- The DWP also confirmed reappointments of Daphne Hall and Dr Suzy Walton, extending their membership through 31 December 2031 to preserve continuity on the committee.
- Dr Royston is Executive Director of Research and Policy at Marie Curie, a former Policy Director at The Children’s Society, ex-chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, and author of Broken Benefits.
- Appointments to SSAC are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments under the Governance Code for Public Appointments, and members are paid £256.80 per day for an expected two to three days’ work each month.
- DWP ministers and the SSAC chair said Royston’s mix of research, policy and frontline insight should improve scrutiny of how departmental policies operate in practice and influence future secondary social security legislation and delivery.