WHILE Liverpool Council contemplates a hefty compensation bill to pay off their Chief Executive Colin Hilton, thoughts turn to who will be next in the hot seat.
Sources indicate that it took just one meeting for Joe Anderson to make clear that he wanted a change at the top. So who are the people being talked about to take up the challenge of working with Liverpool’s new Labour leader?
Chief executives of nearby local authorities inevitably head the list. Ged Fitzgerald is highly regarded. He made sure Sunderland was first to declare in the 2005 General Election before moving to Lancashire County Council. There he has survived the transition of power from one party to another last year. That’s not an easy task, as Mr Hilton will testify.
Speculation also surrounds two women. Carole Hudson, who has been in the driving seat at St Helens for 19 years, and Barbara Spicer, chief executive at Salford. The flame- haired Spicer is no stranger to Merseyside, having cut her teeth at Knowsley Council. In Salford, she has overseen the BBC’s move to its new northern headquarters at Mediacity.
Charlie Parker has only been in charge of Oldham for the last eighteen months, but headed up the Speke Garston partnership before becoming executive director for regeneration in Liverpool.
And what about Steve Broomhead conducting a valiant fight to save the Northwest Development Agency from Tory hawks who would like to see it abolished? Business Secretary Vince Cable’s warm words about the organisation might encourage the affable Steve to stay at the helm. However, the NWDA faces big cuts in its budget and much of its strategic regional planning is to be scrapped. If the golden days of the agency are over, could the former Chief Executive of Warrington Council be tempted to return to the turbulence of the Town Hall?
Two issues that potential candidates will have in mind are the salary, and the Cameron plan for elected mayors.
There is considerable pressure for Chief Executives’ salaries to be cut. Hilton is on £200,000. It’s being rumoured that £180,000 may be the ceiling for the new man or woman.
Then there is the possibility that Liverpool could face a compulsory referendum on an elected mayor. If such a role was created, it would dramatically alter the relationship between the chief officer and the senior elected politician.
Another issue on Joe Anderson’s plate is the plethora of organisations involved in regeneration around the city.
The appointment of Max Steinberg as Chief Executive of Liverpool Vision was inspired. His imaginative approach and long experience, stretching back to the Toxteth Task Force, is widely admired.
With such a man heading up Liverpool Vision, some feel the case for combining its work with that of The Mersey Partnership is compelling.
Such a merger wouldn’t be easy. The formidable personalities at TMP, Rod Holmes and Lorraine Rogers, are fiercely proud of their work, but the economic times may dictate hard choices.
