The former boss of Newcastle City Council will head a panel overseeing reforms at another North East authority branded “dysfunctional” and “distracted” in a damning report.
Pat Ritchie has been named as the chair of an independent board set up following a devastating review of Northumberland County Council’s governance. The Max Caller report, published in June, warned of a “climate of fear and intimidation” at the council and said that the effectiveness of its leadership had “deteriorated significantly” over recent years, after a breakdown in relations between politicians and senior officers.
That crushing report called for a new CEO to be brought in at the local authority, since when former boss Daljit Lally has left county hall with a six-figure payout, and made a raft of other recommendations to make sure Northumberland’s taxpayers are getting the best value for their money.
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On Wednesday, the appointment of a seven-member challenge board made up of local government heavyweights was confirmed, with a mandate to work with the council to ensure the required changes are implemented. It will be chaired by Ms Ritchie, who left her job as chief executive of Newcastle City Council last year, and includes council leaders from Barnsley and Stoke.
Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “I am pleased to invite the challenge board to our council and welcome their agreement to come in as our ‘critical friend’. No one organisation or individual should ever shy away from challenge and I know their huge experience will be very useful indeed.
“I am very proud of our staff and all they do in delivering first class services across the county and I want us to do things even better.”
The Caller report’s recommendations included a redrafting of the council’s constitution and codes of conduct, establishing a restructured slate of county hall officers staffed by permanent employees instead of interim hires, and using data to “improve performance in a systematic way”.
Coun Sanderson added: “This is certainly another step in the right direction. We do have so much to be proud of in our county and we want to do our very best for our residents, businesses and visitors. By bringing in the board it brings in another level of transparency, challenge and oversight which we’re looking forward to.”
The council said that the new board would “regularly and formally report” back to a cross-party oversight group of councillors and that its reports will be made public
The panel is composed of Ms Ritchie, Barnsley Council leader Sir Steve Houghton, Stoke-on-Trent Council leader Abi Brown, Harrogate Council chief executive Wallace Sampson, Wakefield Council monitoring officer Gill Marshall, Rochdale Council director Neil Thornton, and the Local Government Association’s Mark Edgell.
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