The role has been filled on an interim basis since last June when previous top boss John Hooton departed, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter
Barnet Council’s Colindale office
Barnet Council has opened applications for its next chief executive.
The council confirmed today (Monday 13th) it is now recruiting for a permanent chief executive to take the place of acting CEO Cath Shaw, who has served as the interim since June following the departure of John Hooton.
Last week (Friday 10th) the council posted the vacancy on its careers page alongside a detailed job description, with a salary set at £206,492 to £218,002.
Hooton stood as the chief executive of Barnet for eight years; previously he was the chief operating officer and before then the deputy finance director.
The council reported that under leadership Barnet’s children’s services went from an “’inadequate’ to ‘good’ rating”, the council became a “leader” in “tackling climate change” and “successfully delivered some of London’s largest growth and regeneration programmes”.
However, there are many challenges the new chief executive will need to tackle, including around council fincances, high demand for temporary accommodation, adult and children’s social care services, and an unpredictable economy.
At the start of the year council leader Barry Rawlings warned “difficult decisions” lay ahead. In his new year message he said the 2025/26 budget gap was currently at £52million.
Cllr Rawlings said: “These budget pressures are set to continue for some time and addressing them will mean being an ever-leaner organisation focused on delivering fewer priorities.
“This will mean making difficult decisions over the coming months, and as a Barnet resident, I know that many people will find some changes difficult.”
Referencing some of the challenges, the job description on the council’s advertisement states: “As our new chief executive you’ll be responsible for the transformation of our services, work that will involve giving more power and resources to local communities.
“This is a vitally important agenda, and to be successful it will be your job to help us become more financially self-sufficient, keep costs down and inspire our teams to adapt and innovate as we deliver the best services.
“This won’t be an easy task as there will be hard choices to be made but it will be an exciting and fulfilling journey.”
The council hopes to fill the role around spring time and attract both internal and external interest.
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