The Office for Students, expertise and legitimacy in the regulation of higher education in England

In a recent HEPI blog, Susan Lapworth, who this month was appointed Chief Executive of the Office for Students (OfS), complacently and summarily dismissed concerns that the OfS is becoming politicised. Her case reflected the ‘winner-takes-all’ attitude of recent governments – the idea that whoever wins an election has a right to appoint whomever it wants to public positions and that the key criterion for any public office is the extent to which candidates are considered to have views that strongly align with the government of the day. This factor is given much greater importance than their level of relevant expertise and experience. For example, it is nigh on impossible to understand the 2021 appointment of the Chair of the OfS in any other terms.