Councils share experience to give residents better services

Shropshire Council has today announced that its Chief Executive, Kim Ryley, will support Cheshire East Council in improving services and providing greater value for money at the authority. 

Cheshire East Council, which covers areas including Crewe, Congleton and Macclesfield, is embarking on a period of transformation that will benefit from the experience that has seen Shropshire Council progress, meeting the challenging Government savings target of £86million. 

Shropshire Council has already been providing support to the Cheshire authority, whose Chief Executive, Erika Wenzel, left the council by mutual agreement on 30 June 2012.  The leadership team has been so impressed by the progress in Shropshire that it has asked Kim Ryley for his support through the coming months. 

Shropshire Council will continue to be driven forward by its Leader, Keith Barrow, supported by its Senior Management Team. 

Kim Ryley said of this move: 

“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved in Shropshire over the past few years.  There is a dedicated team of elected members, managers, and staff in the council, that I know will continue this work.  I would like to feel that I have room for at least one fresh challenge before I think about a well-earned retirement, and the exciting opportunity to work at Cheshire East was too good to resist.  The council there has huge potential to make a real difference for local people, and both councillors and staff are very committed to making this happen quickly.” 

Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, supported this fresh approach to partnership working: 

“This seems an ideal point to support Cheshire East, allowing our neighbours to benefit from Kim’s accomplished experience in local government.  Cheshire East Council will fund his salary during his time at the authority, where I am certain he will drive forward service improvement, as he has done in Shropshire. 

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish Kim well in his future role with Cheshire East Council and subsequently in his retirement.  I know he will be a great asset to their programme of transformational change and I am proud that we can share Shropshire’s successes across our borders.”