The double life of a chief exec

摘要

The damaging effects of local government reorganisation have been well documented in the pages of The MJ over the last couple of years - from problems with uncertainty and damaged relationships to the battling and bickering between councils fighting for survival. But much less attention has been paid to the positive side-effects of the process. For those who didn't head to the battlegrounds of the unitary process, councils have been finding ways to make the two-tier system work. Essex CC has been doing just that. Chief executive Joanna Killian has just notched up her second anniversary in the job - and her first anniversary of also being the chief executive of Brentwood BC. As far as she is aware, it is the only joint county and district chief executive post in the country. 'When we formed the partnership, it was about trying to connect our services,' she says. She uses the example of a ￡2m highways spend that was devolved down to the district. To put the figure into perspective, the annual revenue for Brentwood is just ￡10m. The huge cash boost helped the council make a real difference where it was really needed. 'It has made my office in Brentwood and my office in Essex understand each other a bit better,' she says. They are not the only ones. Joanna says the dual role also provided her with a bit of an epiphany. 'The most powerful thing for me was recognising the burdens placed on smaller authorities with less resources.' So now, when she makes a decision at county level, she can also understand what it may mean for the district tier in the area. And she is 'more in tune with how we should consult and engage'. It would appear that the districts have a better view of the people on the ground. Overall, she views the opportunity to do the joint role as positive. 'I've learnt a large amount, and I definitely think it can enhance the two-tier system. But it has absolutely tested me and been extremely hard work. 'I'm much better now at managing my priorities,' she says. She adds that she has had to learn to delegate and empower her staff more to make the system work. As with any successful council, Joanna makes it clear that running a council is not a one-man - or indeed woman - job. 'I've had really good teams,' she says - both in Essex and Brentwood. 'What I have really learned in recent years is the value of the people I work with,' she says. And technology has smoothed the path. It allows her to be in two places at once - handy for a dual role chief -although some of the Brentwood staff did find it difficult not to have a chief executive visible in the offices all the time. For a council as large as Essex, with all the anonymity that brings, her presence was far less of a problem. The role is perhaps even more surprising given that Essex was Joanna's first chief executive job. Before that, she was at the Audit Commission, latterly as director of local government performance and improvement.