Walsall Council chief executive to leave job - prompting calls to scrap role
Walsall Council’s chief executive is to step down from the role after a five-year stint, prompting calls to scrap the role altogether amid the cost of living crisis.
Dr Helen Paterson is set to be appointed as the new chief executive of Northumberland County Council when the authority receives a recommendation for agreement at a meeting next month.
She was handed the top job in Walsall in 2017, following the retirement of previous chief executive Paul Sheehan.
Walsall Council leader Mike Bird congratulated Dr Paterson on her new job and thanked her for her work in the borough. But her impending departure has led to questions on whether the position needs to be filled and whether the authority can save the £195,000 package at a time of increasing costs and cuts to funding.
Independent councillor Pete Smith, who represents the Blakenall ward, said: “Could this be an opportunity for Walsall Council to save some money?
“Does Walsall Council really need another chief executive at a cost of around £200,000 per year, given that services have been cut to the bone, with many services outsourced and given that the council is apparently strapped for cash due to energy cost rises and that the Civic Centre is almost empty, with so many staff working from home, including staff paid at the highest level?
“I do not think the taxpayers of Walsall will be happy if on the one hand the council can afford to pay out this sort of money on one job yet on the other hand impose even further cuts to services and even further rises in council tax bills from April 2023.
“I think there should be a public discussion on this subject before council managers rush to find a replacement.”
