Being the leader of the Council is frequently a busy role, and sometimes one is reminded of how varied a subject matter comes across my desk in that position.  It can be from the small, such as a grass verge needing a cut, to something extremely significant, and this week was extremely relevant for that, as we were interviewing for the role of Crawley Borough Council’s Chief Executive.

While politics is frequently ephemeral, (Liz Truss was a visible, if very extreme example of that) and politicians come and go, our permanent staff we employ to run our public services are a far more stable presence in our institutions.   They are there to arrange the public programme that elected representatives have decided on, and to be on hand to respond should any emergencies or unexpected events occur, to be the people who ensure everyone is kept as safe as possible.

So in many respects, there are fewer more significant duties for elected local representatives than myself than to ensure we have the right people appointed.

Natalie Brahma-Pearl our current Chief Executive has been at Crawley for six years and is leaving for pastures new at Portsmouth City Council, a big city but having many of the same challenges in local government that we have here in Crawley.  Our loss here in Crawley is emphatically Portsmouth’s gain and I want to wish Natalie all the best for the future.  She has been an outstanding Chief Executive who has left the council in a strong position despite all the national pressures facing local authorities at the moment.

Natalie has helped my administration and Peter Lamb’s before mine achieve a great deal, with the New Town Hall being perhaps the most visible monument to what has been brought forward, but also helped us bring forward many hundreds of council homes and helping us upgrade our much valued amenities such as Tilgate Park.  She was also there to head the local government response to Covid, the biggest civilian emergency response needed since the Second World War.  I will miss her, she combined being a decent person with also being a tough and successful negotiator, something you often need at a council!

But as one person moves on, we still need someone to manage the organisation and so I am pleased to confirm that councillors have appointed the current Deputy Chief Executive Ian Duke, after a wide ranging selection process which saw applications from across the country and a vigorous round of interviews.

With Ian we are fortunate here in Crawley to have a new Chief Executive with extensive experience of local government and specifically at Crawley for the past five years.  I wish him great success and I look forward to working with him in this unfolding era to help make this Borough an even better place to live, work and visit.

Cllr Michael Jones

Leader, Crawley Borough Council