New Council Executive Director

Frank Jordan has been appointed as Executive Director of Place at Cheshire East Council.

This newly-created post will include responsibility for a range of issues, including planning, regeneration, highways and countryside. He joins from Leicester City Council, where he is strategic director for city development and neighbourhoods.

Frank, who will take up his new post this September, has had a long career in local government, holding senior posts at Newcastle City Council and at Northumberland County Council before moving to Leicester in 2012.

During his career he has held director level posts for more than 10 years, developing and delivering strategies for economic development, inward investment and large-scale regeneration projects, such as the redevelopment of Leicester city centre.

In addition, Frank has developed a number of change management programmes, which have resulted in innovative new ways of working. For example, he carried out a review of Leicester's technical services, which will result in £10m of savings over three years, as well as improving the quality of delivery for service users.

The new role of Executive Director of Place was created by Cheshire East Council as part of a wide restructuring of the authority. Services now fall into three new directorates -- People, Place and Corporate Services.

Council Chief Executive Mike Suarez said: "Cheshire East has made these changes in order to reduce management costs and to make things easier for residents. By 2020, the authority aims to be in a position to be completely self-funded and already £5m of management savings have been made.

"I am delighted that Frank is joining the dynamic and innovative team we have at Cheshire East -- and I'm sure he will be a real asset and receive a warm welcome from colleagues."

Cheshire East is the third largest unitary authority in the North West and the 13th largest in the country but has one of the smallest cost and number of top-tier management.

The Council's workforce has reduced from 3,880 in 2012 to 2,770 (full time equivalents) in the current financial year -- an overall reduction of 27.7 per cent.

Frank Jordan said: "I have very much enjoyed my time at Leicester and I am now really looking forward to coming to Cheshire East.

"I've been very impressed with the Council's ambition and with the innovative approach which it takes. I am pleased to be joining Cheshire East at this time as I believe that the Council's new structure will set a template for others to follow in delivering quality services in a cost-efficient manner.

"I am excited by the opportunity to work on major projects and by the chance to deliver improved services to residents, businesses and communities. In particular, I can't wait to get my teeth into major pieces of work, such as HS2 coming to Crewe and the regeneration Crewe and Macclesfield.

"On a personal level, I am looking forward to working in a beautiful part of the country where there always seems to be something interesting and exciting happening."

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