Mr Richard McCarthy

Organisation: Communities and Local Government

Job Title: Director General Housing & Planning

Richard McCarthy is the Director General Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government (Formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). He also acts as the Department's lead official on physical regeneration, sustainable development and the environment. Before joining the Department in October 2003, Richard was the Chief Executive of the Peabody Trust since 1999, a major housing association and regeneration agency that operates across London. Prior to this he was Group Chief Executive of the Horizon Housing Group (formerly the South London Family Housing Association Group). Richard joined the Horizon Housing Group after 15 years with the Hyde Housing Association most recently as Operations Director where he had the lead role in developing a range of innovative and successful physical regeneration and development proposals. Richard was the Chair of the National Housing Federation from 2000-2003 and is past member of the JRF Housing and Neighbourhoods Committee. He was educated at Southampton University and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing. He received a CBE in the 2009 New Years Honours for his services to housing and planning.