Council approves new senior management structure

16 October 2024

Cheshire East Council has approved plans for the first phase of senior management restructuring.

The new structure has been designed to ensure there is sufficient leadership capacity and skills to respond to the council’s current and future challenges, opportunities and ambitions.

The changes include positioning the statutory roles of Section 151 officer (chief financial officer) and monitoring officer (the officer responsible for legal governance of the council) as direct reports to the chief executive. 

The new structure also includes the creation other new roles, including assistant chief executive, director of digital and a number of heads of service roles, replacing a number of roles in the former corporate services directorate structure. 
These changes reflect recommendations made in the Local Government Association peer challenge, earlier this year.

Rob Polkinghorne, Cheshire East Council’s chief executive, said: “It is a priority of this council to ensure that we have sufficient leadership capacity and skills in the organisation, now and for the long-term. The circumstances we are operating in, in local government in general and for Cheshire East Council specifically, requires the council to adapt to changing and challenging circumstances.

“This new structure will provide stability and sustainability, supporting clearer decision-making with clear lines of accountability for the council as we transform the organisation, deliver the children’s services improvement plan and the corporate peer challenge action plan.  

“The council has been operating with a number of temporary arrangements in place throughout the organisation, in senior positions, for some time. I am very grateful to those who have stepped in to support on a temporary basis and recognise that some interim arrangements will continue to be needed as we recruit to vacancies in the permanent structure.

“However, it is our intention to recruit to the new structure as soon as possible.

“This is an exciting time for the council. Our transformation and improvement plans offer many opportunities for innovation and to make a real difference for residents, businesses and communities in Cheshire East.

“We have some great people working at the council but we do need a reset to make the most of the strengths we have and to secure a sustainable future for the council, setting ourselves on the path to continue improve outcomes for Cheshire East.”