Acting chief to move on
THE acting chief executive at Cheshire East Council, who was due to be made permanent this month, is taking on a new role in St Helens.
Candidates for the permanent chief executive position were interviewed by the council’s staffing committee in November.
Kath O’Dwyer was selected as the preferred candidate and was due to be voted in as chief executive at the full council meeting in Macclesfield on Thursday, December 19.
But she is now set to be voted in by St Helens Council members as their new chief executive following a successful interview.
Ms O’Dwyer was appointed as the council’s acting chief executive in April 2017, when Mike Suarez was suspended from the role while the council investigated his conduct.
Cheshire East insisted the move was a ‘neutral act’, but Mr Suarez resigned from his post in July 2018, and Ms O’Dwyer has continued as acting chief executive ever since.
She was recommended for the permanent role by a council staffing committee, although it is understood some members wanted to take the council in a new direction.
A statement will be made at the full council meeting outlining the authority’s next steps in appointing a chief executive.
The next chief executive will receive a salary of between £151,000 and £161,000 after councillors agreed to lower the wage bracket by £5,000 in July.
The council worked with a recruitment agency to find candidates for the role, and it is believed this approach will save money in finding a replacement for Ms O’Dwyer.
Cheshire East Council has been approached for comment.