The Society has been supporting work, expertly led by Chartered Geographers Jon Pickstone and Alistair Edwardes, to gain recognition and professional support for geographers working in Whitehall and across government more generally.
The Society is pleased to report that Sir Mark Walport, Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) and Head of Profession for Science and Engineering in government, is backing the idea of a Head of Geography who will operate under the umbrella of the Government Science and Engineering (GSE) profession. This proposal has been strongly supported by the working group of geographers in government, chaired by Jon. This group will oversee the selection of a suitable candidate.
This gives geography and geographers formal professional recognition in government and thought is now being given to implementation. It is excellent news for professional geographers and recognition of the contribution that geography makes to analysis, delivery and policy formulation in the public sector. Government geographers look forward to working with other social science, science, technology and engineering professionals within GSE.