Public appointment: Members reappointed to the Community Justice Scotland Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs today announced the reappointments of Graham Bell and Professor Alec Spencer as Members of the Community Justice Scotland Board.

Members

Graham Bell is a Board Member of NHS Highland, Vice Chair of Argyll & Bute HSCP, Board Chair of Cove Burgh Hall (village hall) and Director of The Leader Scotland, a leadership support and development company. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive of Kibble, a specialist service provider of services for children and young people at risk.

For 24 years he led the strategic growth of this third sector organisation working in child welfare, social care, youth justice, adolescent mental health, special education and supported employment.  Graham has experience of organisational development, major project implementation and operational sustainability. He has extensive international understanding of social innovation as well as evidence informed and evidence creating programmes for at-risk children and young people. With board skills gained in the public, third and private sector, he brings independent thinking, an enquiring and learning mindset, and an understanding of scrutiny, accountability, good governance, guidance and support.

Professor Alec Spencer has been an operational prison governor and a Director of the Scottish Prison Service. He served as Chairman of the Scottish Accreditation Panel for Offender Programmes and, on a temporary basis, as Chief Officer of Tayside Community Justice Authority. He is an Honorary Professor at Stirling University, and was formerly the Chair of the Scottish Association for the Study of Offending and Convener of the Scottish Consortium on Crime and Criminal Justice. He has been an adviser to the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee and a member of Audit Scotland’s Advisory Panel on Criminal Justice System reviews. Alec was founder and first Chair of the Scottish charity ‘Families Outside’; Chair of Includem (a Scottish charity for the most vulnerable and troubled young people); and is a trustee of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (UK charity dedicated to the protection of children from sexual abuse). He has published a book about working with sex offenders and reviews of Scottish Criminal Justice System.

Alec has been Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of CJS since March 2020.

Reappointment

These reappointments will be for 2 years and will run from 15 October 2024 to
14 October 2026.

These reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

These reappointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £241 per day for a time commitment of 20 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Graham Bell is a Member of the Board of NHS Highland for which he receives remuneration of £15,500 per annum, for a time commitment of 7.5 days per month. He is also Vice Chair of Argyll & Bute HSCP, which is part of role at NHS Highland.

Professor Alec Spencer does not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.  

Graham Bell and Professor Alec Spencer have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

Community Justice Scotland (“CJS”) is the national body for community justice in Scotland.  Launched on 1st April 2017 by the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, it aims to create a more robust and effective community justice system based on local planning and delivery by a range of statutory partners, supported and guided by national leadership and oversight. CJS is based in Edinburgh but is a national body working across the whole of Scotland.