Council welcomes new directors

Dudley Council has announced five more permanent appointments to its senior leadership team.

Stephen Meah-Sims has been appointed as Group Director for Core Business and comes with more than 25 years of experience in local government.

Stephen joins the authority from Suffolk County Council, where he was Executive Director of Corporate Services and Deputy Chief Executive.

He has a keen focus on customer service and providing value for money to council taxpayers and has been responsible for council transformation programmes, as well as a broad range of central services including finance, customer and technology.

He said: “I’m so pleased to have been selected for this position and I am very much looking forward to serving the people of Dudley borough.

“As someone who has been in public service for more than 25 years, I will bring a lot of experience and empathy to the role. I am particularly committed to a customer focused delivery, that offers value for money to the taxpayers of Dudley.”

Stephen will work alongside the Chief Executive Balvinder Heran in a new streamlined management structure established as part of the council’s future sustainability and on-going improvement.

The authority has also recruited four new directors, with Anne Boyd being appointed as Director of Economy and Infrastructure.

Anne brings a wealth of experience in economic development and regeneration, having operated as a senior civil servant nationally and as a former LEP Chief Executive in the Midlands region.

She said: "I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Dudley Council and at the prospect of serving this community. It will be an honour to work alongside colleagues, members, businesses and wider stakeholders to drive growth and prosperity for all”

James Prestwich will serve as Director of and Housing and Homelessness. Originally from the West Midlands, he has worked in housing for many years across a wide range of roles including operational housing within the Affordable Housing Division at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and in policy and external affairs roles at the National Housing Federation.

More recently he has worked with the Chartered Institute of Housing and he is a Non-Executive Board Member at CHS, a developing housing association in Cambridge.

He said: “As a proud housing professional and son of Dudley I’m incredibly excited to have the opportunity to lead the housing and homelessness service at Dudley Council.

“I’m looking forward to building on the work that has taken place to drive improvement across housing. Together we will deliver a ‘best-in-class’ service for the citizens of Dudley borough.”

Micheal Brereton will become Director of Development and Regulation. He has 20 years of experience in place-based services in the public sector including a senior leadership role as Head of Planning & Building Control at neighbouring authority Walsall Council.

He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in overseeing Dudley’s planning function as a qualified town planner himself.

Michael said: “I am passionate about people, and about the places we live and look forward to joining Dudley Council in this role and to working with the team, elected members, partners and residents to help shape the future of Dudley.”

Dudley Council stalwart Jim Deakin, who has worked for the authority for more than 40 years, has been appointed as Director of Neighbourhoods. Jim started at the authority’s depot in an apprenticeship scheme in 1985 and went on to work in waste care, before being appointed as head of waste and fleet two years ago.

Jim said: “After 40 years of working for this council, I am immensely proud and honoured to be appointed to this role.

“I am particularly excited to be able to continue to work closely with our community and partners alongside our talented dedicated officers.

”Dudley is a fantastic place to work and I feel incredibly privileged to be able to continue to serve the people of this great borough as part of our new senior management team.”

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, added: “We are developing our strong new leadership team to drive the council forward and forge an exciting future for our borough and our residents.

“I would like to welcome and congratulate our five new recruits to Dudley Council, who will form a key part of our new operating model. These officers all have proven track records and great experience, and I am confident they will be fantastic appointments for our authority.”