Search for £170,000 leaders under way

May 23 2008 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

THE chief executives of two new councils covering East and West Cheshire will earn more than the man currently responsible for the whole of the county.

Jeremy Taylor, chief executive of Cheshire County Council, takes home £170,000 a year.

But the two new chief executives in charge of successor councils – Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council – will earn about £173,000 each according to the job advert.

However, the re-organisation will still save money in terms of senior management costs over the long run because the abolition of the county council and six district councils means the number of chief executives will reduce from seven to two.

Cllr Mike Jones, the leader of the shadow Cheshire West authority, said: “The two chief executives are replacing seven which is a pretty good reduction and we have made a comparison with similar sized unitaries and it’s in line with those. The job carries a lot of responsibility.

“The quality of the individual is paramount to the delivery of great services for the residents of West Cheshire.”

The job advert for the Cheshire West chief executive post reads: “You will have the opportunity to shape and inspire the new council so that it has the vision and capacity to become a high performing flagship organisation.”

The blurb says the role requires a highly innovative and ambitious leader with successful and consistent achievement in leadership at the most senior level of management.

It continues: “With outstanding interpersonal and communication skills you will have a track record of leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams and delivering outcomes that require collaborative approaches both within the organisation and with external partners and key stakeholders.

“Finally, we are looking for people who possess the acumen and awareness to operate effectively and successfully within the democratic process of a highly pressured political environment.”

The closing date for applications is June 10, 2008 with appointments expected towards the end of July.

The chief executives must be in post by the end of December at the latest, although this is likely to be earlier, perhaps by late summer or the autumn.