# Stephen Bubb

Sir Stephen John Limrick Bubb JP FRSA (born 5 November 1952) is the Executive Director of the Gradel Institute of Charity at New College, Oxford. He was Chief Executive of the UK charity leaders representative body Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) from 2000 to 2016. He received a knighthood in 2011 for his services to the voluntary sector. From March 2011 to June 2011, Bubb was seconded to the Department of Health, as part of the team leading Andrew Lansley's National Health Service (NHS) "listening exercise".
Bubb is regarded as influential within the Labour and Conservative Parties, with his longstanding advocacy of charities replacing public services chiming with both parties' policy of promoting competition and choice in areas such as health care. He has described criticisms of competition as belonging in the "last century".

## Background

Bubb was born in Gillingham, Kent. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Christ Church, Oxford.

## Career

After briefly being a civil servant, Bubb became a Research Officer for the TGWU's Jack Jones in 1976. In 1980, he became Negotiations Officer for the National Union of Teachers, before, in 1987, becoming a lead adviser to the Association of Metropolitan Authorities in its pay negotiations.
In 1995, he became the first Director of Personnel of the National Lottery Charities Board. He became the CEO of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations in 2000.
Bubb was Chairman of the Adventure Capital Fund, which became the Social Investment Board from 2006 to 2016; and Chairman of Futurebuilders England in 2008.
After stepping down from ACEVO, Bubb founded Charity Futures to investigate challenges to, and provide support for, the third sector for the next generation.
In 2018, Bubb was appointed the Acting Director of the Oxford Institute of Charity; this later became the Gradel Institute of Charity, housed at New College, Oxford. At the opening of the Institute in September 2023, Bubb became the Executive Director of the Institute, which was established with the aim of publishing research to improve the strategy of governance of charities, and in curating leadership programmes for those working in the charitable sector.

## Other activities

Bubb was a Labour Party member of Lambeth Borough Council for Clapham Town ward from 1982, serving as chief whip for the Labour group. When the Labour group protested against rate-capping by refusing to set a rate, Bubb was among 32 Lambeth councillors who were surcharged for causing the council a financial loss by willful misconduct. This action disqualified him from being a councillor for five years from the end of March 1986.
He spent nearly 20 years as a Youth Court Magistrate in inner London (1980-2000). He also acted on local health boards in South London (Guy's Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital) and set up an HIV centre there.
In 2014, he was asked by the UK Government to review the progress that had been made in implementing promises made to close institutions for people with learning disabilities following the Winterboune View abuse scandal that was exposed by Panorama.
Bubb was asked by the then Prime Minister, David Cameron to review choice and competition in the National Health Service as part of the pause in the passage of the NHS reform bill on 2011, promoted by Andrew Lansley. He presented his report to a meeting of the British Cabinet and became the first third sector leader to address a meeting of the Cabinet.
His recommendations were accepted by Government but a further abuse scandal in 2019 led to Bubb denouncing the failure of government and calling for new legislation and an independent commissioner for people with learning disabilities.
Bubb is also a trustee of Helen and Douglas House.

## Controversy

Stephen Bubb came under scrutiny in August 2013 after it was reported that his 60th birthday gathering in the House of Commons had been partly financed by his own charity, ACEVO. Despite the charity paying him a salary in excess of £100,000, he still felt it was suitable for the charity to cover some of the costs and stated "seemed just right to celebrate my 60th with a tea party in the House of Lords on Monday!" A later investigation by the Charity Commission found that there had been no breach of propriety.