New boss appointed to £180,000 chief executive role at Wiltshire Council | Salisbury & Avon Gazette

LUCY Townsend – current boss at Wiltshire Council – has been appointed to the £184,000 role of chief executive of the authority.

Currently Corporate Director – People, she was chosen after a recruitment process that included technical interviews, psychometric assessments, a full-day assessment with a variety of stakeholder groups and final panel interviews.

Subject to formal approval, Lucy will take over as chief executive following the departure of Terence Herbert in August, who is leaving the council after 13 years after being successfully appointed as chief executive at Surrey County Council.

The salary range for the position of chief executive is between £184,168 and £196,598.

Lucy said: “I am incredibly proud to be appointed Chief Executive of Wiltshire Council. I am committed and passionate about local government and the vital role it plays in helping to strengthen and empower our communities.

“I look forward to getting started and will lead from the front in a collaborative approach to help deliver the council’s vision, working side by side with our staff, residents, businesses and communities in a thriving and ambitious county.”

Lucy brings to the role over 25 years experience in local government, starting with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Swindon Borough Council and North Somerset Council, before joining Wiltshire Council in 2014 as Head of Safeguarding and Evaluation. Between September 2017 and March 2020, she was director of family and children’s services, before being named corporate director – people in July 2020.

She also holds the statutory role of director of children’s services.

Terence Herbert will leave the role next month

Lucy holds an MA in Social Work and Social Care Policy, BSc Psychology, has successfully led Children’s Services to an outstanding Ofsted rating and chairs the Integrated Care Partnership, the South West Association of Directors of Children’s Services and Deputy Chair of Partnership for Community Safety.

Cllr Richard Clewer, leader of the council, said: “Lucy was an outstanding candidate and I am delighted that she has accepted the role of chief executive following a very robust and competitive process.

“Lucy has a wealth of experience over many years, not only at Wiltshire Council but also in the local government sector and we are confident that she will ensure that Wiltshire remains one of the most effective and efficient councils in the country.

“Lucy’s qualities, experience and commitment have been demonstrated in the council’s children’s services, achieving an outstanding grade by Ofsted last year.

“We look forward to working with her to achieve our collective goals as a council at a crucial and challenging time for local government.”