Cheshire East Council has today announced that Kim Ryley will be seconded to the authority to serve as interim Chief Executive.
He comes to Cheshire East from his post of Chief Executive at Shropshire Council and will take up his temporary role on August 13th.
Kim will work with Cheshire East over the coming months to give support following the departure of Erika Wenzel, who left the council by mutual agreement on 30th June 2012, having been on sick leave since March.
Kim was appointed Chief Executive of Shropshire Council in October 2009 and he has 30 years' experience of working in local government.
From his first appointment as a committee clerk, he progressed in his career to take up management roles in the education service, working in metropolitan and county councils in London and the south east of England. Following his appointment as director of education in a newly formed unitary council in South Wales, Mr Ryley was promoted to the role of chief executive. Prior to his appointment at Shropshire Council, he spent five years leading Hull City Council, which was named "most improved council of the year" in 2010.
Councillor Michael Jones said: "We are delighted that Kim Ryley is able to join us, to help lead our ambitious programme of change and improvement. His proven track record of success in Shropshire, and in councils where he has worked previously, makes him a real asset for us at this time.
"His secondment is a good early demonstration of how a joint approach between the two councils could provide real benefit for our residents, without any loss of accountable local decision making.
"I would also like to thank Keith Barrow for releasing Kim on secondment for the months before he retires. He will bring with him a wealth of experience that we are keen to share and learn from to help Cheshire East to move forward into a new era."
Kim Ryley said of this move: "I am immensely proud of what we have achieved in Shropshire over the past few years. There is a dedicated team of elected members, managers, and staff in the council, that I know will continue this work.
"I would like to feel that I have room for at least one fresh challenge before I think about a well-earned retirement, and the exciting opportunity to work at Cheshire East was too good to resist. The council there has huge potential to make a real difference for local people, and both councillors and staff are very committed to making this happen quickly."
Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said "This seems an ideal point to support Cheshire East, allowing our neighbours to benefit from Kim's accomplished experience in local government. Cheshire East Council will fund his salary during his time at the authority, where I am certain he will drive forward service improvement, as he has done in Shropshire.
"I would like to take this opportunity to wish Kim well in his future role with Cheshire East Council and subsequently in his retirement. I know he will be a great asset to their programme of transformational change and I am proud that we can share Shropshire's successes across our borders."
Kim Ryley's salary at Shropshire Council was £175,140, reduced from £180,000 in October 2011. It is unclear what Kim will do at the end of his term at CEC as he is due to retire next year.
Photo courtesy of LGMA National's photo stream and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Just take a look fellow CEC council tax payers - it seems Mr Ryley has a very poor reputation with both Shropshire residents and council employees. Furthermore adverse comments can be traced back to Mr Ryley's time at Hull.
Of course bad news is good for business in the press world and it may well be the accounts should be taken in this context. However I for one shall be keeping an eye out for evidence that Mr Ryley is a suitable person to hold office - albeit I find it hard to imagine he can make any significant impact in just a 12 week secondment. Unless of course he simply wields an axe and slashes staff numbers...all well and good if he removes the underlying activity. If not then we could only expect a decline in services.
I think Mr Jones as our "elected" representative would do well to make a clear statement of CEC's intentions and the benefits for the tax payers very soon - 12 weeks and counting...
On the subject of the seconded CEO, Kim Ryley, I see that this link has been posted in a number of places. http://bit.ly/Oy9ACZ
As you say, a 12-week secondment is a very short time - though one supposes that it may be just long enough to conduct a recruitment process for a permanent CEO.
Oh yes, and while I remember, what news of the waste transfer matter? Do you suppose the investigating body managed to discuss it with Ms Wenzel before she left?