New Year’s Honour for Hackney resident Mike Bracken

Honoured by Queen: Mike Bracken. Photograph: mikebracken.com

Digital wizard Mike Bracken has been invited to the palace to accept a gong for his life’s work after being included in the Queen’s New Year’s Honour’s list.

The Stoke Newington resident worked for The Guardian before being headhunted by the government to work for the Cabinet Office as its Director of Digital.

He is has been chairman of Sporting Hackney FC for the past six years.

Writing on his blog, Mr Bracken said he would be accepting the accolade “on behalf of others”.

He added: “Public services are delivered by over 400,000 colleagues in the Civil Service, the vast majority working in front-line services under challenging conditions.

“In an era of public sector austerity they should take the plaudits. Introducing digital transformation to public services is a huge but necessary challenge at any time.

“Given the current demand for Government digital services from users and business in the UK, and over 15 years of disinvestment in developing digital skills in the Civil Service, it’s little wonder that this challenge feels existential on occasion.”

He was awarded a CBE.

Others honoured in the list included Clinton Paul McFarlane, Business Support manager at the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, who received an MBE for public service and services to the community in the London Borough of Hackney.