From Audit Clerk to Audit Commission
Lord Heseltine addressed an audience of Audit Commission stakeholders and staff at Lancaster House, London on 23 July 2008.
His lecture, 'From Audit Clerk to Audit Commission', marked the 25th anniversary of the organisation he created.
The lecture included anecdotes about his early career as an audit clerk to the Fatstock Marketing Corporation following study at Oxford. He also told of holding down his day job as an auditor while devoting evenings to his fledgling property business. In the late 1950s he went on to found Haymarket Publishing, which grew into one of the UK's largest private companies.
This was a prelude to a long career as an MP, wide-ranging cabinet appointments and a period as Deputy Prime Minister.
He also gave insights into how as Minister of State at the Department of the Environment he had been frustrated in his first attempt to set up the Commission. He returned as Secretary of State and was able to make his vision a reality.
Lord Heseltine also drew on his experience of ministerial office to share his thoughts on other subjects. These included value for money studies - 'the Commission has done a startlingly good job' - urban regeneration, and quangos - 'they have to go'.
A short edited video of the speech can be viewed below.
A transcript of the lecture (PDF, 773Kb) is also available.