A senior official who will earn more than £100,000 for liaising with councils and government in Berkshire has been appointed.
The Berkshire Prosperity Board, made up of all six council leaders, was set up as a forum to work on shared goals. It has a new director to negotiate with councils and government and help organise Berkshire's future as a planned local government reform progresses.
Saba Tahzib has been appointed Director of Devolution and Growth for the Berkshire Prosperity Board on a one-year fixed-term contract with a salary of £130,000.
He has around a decade of government experience, first at the Department for Transport from 2015 to 2017, then in multiple roles at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from 2017 to 2025. According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Sabha was involved in the ministry's Covid-19 response from March to August 2020, most recently serving as a deputy director for local growth strategy.
The director role was initially held by Paul Patterson from September 2025 to April this year. Berkshire council leaders agreed to create the role in August last year and Wokingham Borough Council led the recruitment.
"The Director of Devolution is a key strategic post for Berkshire with responsibility for leading the development and delivery of the region's devolution ambitions in collaboration with all six Berkshire local authorities and the broader Thames Valley region."
"The government's renewed emphasis on devolution could bring substantial benefits to Berkshire's residents and businesses by securing significant new funding and powers to build on the county's existing economic prosperity to create skills, training and employment opportunities for residents, improved local transport, support for local businesses alongside helping to address the chronic need for more social and affordable housing across Berkshire."
"Working together provides a significantly more powerful voice than each council would have individually, helping to effectively lobby government, secure more funding from both public and private investors, and to be an even more attractive location for inward investment."
"The Director post will play a key role in bringing these benefits to fruition and Mr Tahzib brings with him extensive experience of working in central government on a range of housing and local growth programmes and policies. The post is funded by the Berkshire Prosperity Board on behalf of all six Berkshire authorities."
The Berkshire Prosperity Board's website launched on Wednesday, September 30. Mr Tahzib attended his first meeting as director for devolution on September 21, hosted by Slough Borough Council.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
