Gill Steward will join Cumbria CC as chief executive in August once the move is approved by full council. Ms Steward is the current chair of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies thinktank. She was chief executive for Bexley LBC from 2016 to 2018 and interim chief executive of West Sussex CC between 2014 and 2016.
Gillian Beasley, chief executive of Cambridgeshire CC and Peterborough City Council, is retiring. Ms Beasley has been at the helm of Peterborough for 19 years and, in addition, was six years ago appointed to run Cambridgeshire in a unique county council/unitary arrangement. In 2008 she was awarded an OBE for her work in local government.
South Tyneside MBC has appointed Birmingham City Council’s assistant chief executive to its top officer post.
Jonathan Tew, whose Birmingham role sees him lead on public health, community safety, policy development, performance and insight, is expected to join the north-eastern council in the late summer, subject to full council approval next month.
Mr Swales had gone on leave the previous month after then leader Iain Malcolm (Lab) was put under external investigation following bullying accusations by two officers. Cllr Malcolm subsequently stood down in November.
Mr Tew has previously worked as associate director of KPMG’s public sector and health consulting practice, and held local government roles at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Blackburn with Darwen BC and Durham CC.
• Wakefield MDC chief executive 2008-17
• Sheffield City Council roles inc executive director for neighbourhoods and community care 1999-2008
When Joanne Roney entered local government as an apprentice working in homelessness she was a “16-year-old from a very deprived part of Birmingham who didn’t have many life choices facing her”. She is now the sector’s top chief executive.
It is her personal background which Ms Roney, whose two-year term as president of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers began at the turn of the year, says lies behind her decision to make tackling inequality her number one priority during her term of office.