The Right Honourable The Lord Bancroft | |
|---|---|
| Head of theHome Civil Service | |
| In office 1978–1981 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1922-12-23)23 December 1922 |
| Died | 19 November 1996(1996-11-19) (aged 73) |
| Spouse | Jean Swaine |
| Children | 2 sons, 1 daughter |
| Education | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) |
Ian Powell Bancroft, Baron BancroftGCB (23 December 1922 – 19 November 1996) was a British senior civil servant.
He was born atBarrow-in-Furness, the son of a teacher. He was educated atSir William Turner's Grammar School,Coatham andBalliol College, Oxford, where he read English. He served with theRifle Brigade in France from 1942 to 1943, reaching the rank ofCaptain.[1]
After leaving the Army he joined theCivil Service, serving asPrivate Secretary to the Second Secretary to the TreasurySir Henry Wilson Smith from 1948 to 1950, to theChancellor of the ExchequerRab Butler from 1953 to 1955, and also to Butler asLord Privy Seal from 1955 to 1957. He wasPrincipal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the ExchequerReginald Maudling in 1964, continuing underJames Callaghan until 1966, when he became an Under-Secretary to the Treasury.[1]
In 1968 he moved to the same position in the newCivil Service Department, then to theDepartment of the Environment as Deputy Secretary and Director General of Organisation and Establishments from 1970 to 1972. From 1972 to 1973 he was a Commissioner ofHM Customs and Excise, then Second Permanent Secretary at the Civil Service Department until 1975.[1]
He returned to the Department of the Environment asPermanent Secretary from 1975 to 1977 before becoming Permanent Secretary to the Civil Service Department andHead of the Home Civil Service in 1978. In 1981Margaret Thatcher abolished the Civil Service Department, effectively ending his career.[1]
He was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bath in the1971 Birthday Honours,[2] aKnight Commander in the1975 New Year Honours,[3] and aKnight Grand Cross in1979 New Year Honours.[4]
On 15 February 1982 he was created alife peer asBaron Bancroft,ofCoatham in theCounty of Cleveland,[5] and took his seat in theHouse of Lords.
He was married in 1950 to Jean Swaine, by whom he had two sons and a daughter. Lord Bancroft died in London in 1996.[1]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none office last held bySir David Pitblado | SecondPermanent Secretary of the Civil Service Department 1973–1975 | Succeeded by SirJohn Herbecq |
| Preceded by SirJames Jones | Permanent Secretary at the Department of the Environment 1975–1977 | Succeeded by SirJohn Garlick |
| Preceded by | Head of the Home Civil Service 1978–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Permanent Secretary, Civil Service Department 1978–1981 | Succeeded by None |