Wirral Council moves ahead with appointing new chief executive
Wirral Council’s Senior Staffing Committee have made a unanimous recommendation that Matt Bennett be appointed to the role of the authority’s permanent Chief Executive.
The formal appointment requires approval by a meeting of the Full Council when it meets, due to take place in early March.
Matt Bennett has been with Wirral Council for three years, joining as Director of Finance before being appointed Interim Chief Executive in October.
Following the Committee meeting, Mr Bennett said:
It is a huge honour to be recommended to Full Council for appointment as Wirral Council’s Chief Executive, and I understand the significant responsibility and trust that is being placed in me.
Since I was appointed as Interim Chief Executive three months ago, I have had the opportunity to get to know Wirral Council in even more depth, as well as using this time to take stock of what we need to do to address the considerable challenges the council faces.
One of the things which has become clear in this time is that this is an organisation crammed with talented and skilled employees who put public services at the heart of what they do every day.
However, rising costs and budget pressures—mirroring those seen by councils across the country—are making it harder for Wirral Council to deliver the services people expect.
These last few months have also been an opportunity to start to identify the changes the authority needs to ensure it is sustainable for the long term and I will be starting from the top of the organisation, making sure our internal leadership is restructured and aligned with our priorities.
In addition, I aim to build on the skills and the impressive commitment we see from staff day in and day out, as well as working closely with the council’s political leadership and our partners to move ahead with the significant transformation we will need.
Together we will make the necessary changes to how the council goes about its work and through that, make sure we are an efficient and effective organisation and able to deliver the services people in Wirral require within our means.
The meeting of Full Council to consider the recommendation of the Senior Staffing Committee will take place on March 2nd.
