Birmingham’s latest failure to appoint a chief: the inside story
As Birmingham gets its sixth chief executive in the past four years, questions are being asked about the council s governance and the leadership culture, writes LGC editor Nick Golding.
Chris Naylor
“Birmingham messed up the process. It was a typical Birmingham mess,” is how one prominent figure involved in Europe’s biggest single-tier council described the city’s latest failure to appoint a chief executive.
It was announced last week that Birmingham City Council’s interim chief executive Chris Naylor – who was on a year’s secondment from Barking & Dagenham LBC which had been widely expected to result in a permanent appointment – will instead return to the London borough early, on 6 March.
A chat with Hollywood star, Gabriel Byrne
Actor Gabriel Byrne was a trendsetter when he made the successful transition from television to cinema screens forty years ago, and his love for Ireland burns as brightly as ever, he tells Shea Tomkins
Gabriel Byrne has shared the silver screen with some of Hollywood’s most recognisable names, but as a rookie actor seeking to pick up some tips of the trade, he needed to look no further than the cast of RTE’s much-loved TV serial, The Riordans.
“Like most people in Ireland I was brought up on Sunday night watching The Riordans,” he says as he chats to Ireland’s Own about his memoir, Walking With Ghosts.
Recap of Leeds Covid news as Boris Johnson reminds people it s illegal to go on holiday
A press conference took place at 5pm today (Wednesday)
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Prime minister Boris Johnson has reminded those dreaming of a summer abroad that it is currently illegal to go on holiday .
Mr Johnson was speaking at a Downing Street press conference where he was asked whether members of the public should start booking holidays.
In response, the prime minister said: It is currently illegal to go on holiday. We re looking at the data everyday. In the week of the 22nd (February) we ll be setting out the road map and that s the best answer I can give.
COVID-19 rates have risen in Leeds after days of steady downward progress. In a tweet this afternoon Leeds City Council CEO Tom Riordan said: After a run of lowering case numbers, the Leeds rate has risen to 230.7 (from 225.8) and positivity has gone up to 9.8% (from 9.6%). Whilst one day is not a trend, it does show how we all need to act as though we have the virus, staying in unless essential and keeping our distance. Last Friday rates in the city stood at 277.6 per 100,000, with positively at 11.3 per cent.