Housing and local government figures have paid tribute to Lord Bob Kerslake, who died on Saturday at the age of 68 following a battle with cancer.

Lord Kerslake led the civil service between 2012 and 2014 under David Cameron’s Conservative government. Alongside this role, he also served as permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government between 2010 and 2015, overseeing housing policy in the austerity era as ministers pushed through cuts to housing funding. 

Lord Kerslake, a chartered accountant by trade, worked for several local authorities including the Greater London Council, handling transport finance.