Elizabeth Filkin

Who is Elizabeth Filkin?

Elizabeth Jill Filkin CBE is a British public functionary and former civil servant. She was the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards between February 1999 and 2002.

Born in Keynsham, Somerset, Filkin studied at Clifton High School in Bristol and Birmingham University. She started her career as a lecturer and community worker at the National Institute for Social Work between 1968 and 1971. She then worked as community work services officer in the London Borough of Brent; lecturer in social studies at the University of Liverpool; chief executive, then director of community services at the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux; assistant chief executive, then revenue adjudicator at the London Docklands Development Corporation; and adjudicator at the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and Contributions Agency before becoming Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in February 1999. Her departure was controversial, with some claiming she was ousted because high-profile MPs found her investigations inconvenient. Many considered she had performed well and should not have had to reapply for the role when her three-year contract came up for renewal.