Halton Borough Council is set to appoint Stephen Young as its new Chief Executive.
The announcement follows the decision at a Special Council Meeting tonight (Wednesday 26 January), where elected members accepted the recommendation made by Halton Borough Council’s Appointments Committee.
Mr Young is currently Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transportation and Community Services at Lancashire County Council.
The recommendation by the Council’s Appointments Committee follows a comprehensive recruitment process, delivered in collaboration with North West Employers – the regional employer organisation, which represents 41 council employers across the North West and specialises in developing tailored recruitment processes.
The search for a new Chief Executive saw candidates carry out psychometric tests plus a wide range of assessment activities – across two days –designed to challenge and test the skills, abilities and aptitude of each candidate.
A shortlist of candidates were invited for in-depth interviews, resulting in the Appointments Committee recommending its preferred candidate to Council.
Talking about the appointment, Cllr Mike Wharton, Leader of Halton Borough Council and Chair of the Appointments Committee, said: “I am delighted that Stephen has accepted our offer to become the next Chief Executive of Halton Borough Council.
“This is a pivotal role that attracted a very strong field of candidates. Throughout the process, myself and my fellow members of the Appointments Committee have been particularly impressed by Stephen’s extensive and varied record of achievements, his passion for public service and his personal values, which we believe will be well matched to Halton.
“I look forward to welcoming Stephen to Halton and working with him to deliver on our ambitious programme of work.”
A start date for Mr Young will be confirmed in the coming days.
Current Chief Executive, David Parr OBE will leave Halton Borough Council on 31 March 2022, after 18 years with the Council and 38 years of public service.
Halton Borough Council’s Appointments Committee was made up of Cllr Mike Wharton (Chair), Cllr John Bradshaw, Cllr Mark Dennett, Cllr Tony McDermott, Cllr Paul Nolan and Cllr Margaret Ratcliffe.
About Stephen Young:
Stephen has over 25 years of experience in the public sector, the last 13 of which have been in a range of key Chief Officer roles for local authorities across Greater Manchester and now Lancashire.
During his career, he has repeatedly demonstrated an ability to lead, transform and improve large and complex organisations and their people, whilst improving the outcomes for local residents, particularly around disenfranchised communities.
As Lancashire County Council’s Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transportation and Community Services, Stephen has led a large department encompassing thousands of staff and an operating budget into the hundreds of millions of pounds. In this role he has overseen economic development and job creation schemes worth in excess of £3 billion, including bringing the first National Cyber Force HQ to Lancashire in partnership with the MoD, GCHQ and the private sector.
His other responsibilities included highways and transport, fleet management, waste disposal, planning, organisational-wide transformation, improvement and change.
Stephen will bring to Halton his extensive experience of developing and maintaining effective relationships that support and drive whole systems approaches to partnership working on a local, regional and national footprint.
Stephen has an (MBA) Master’s Degree in Business Administration, a (DMS) Diploma in Management studies and a BA (Hons) Degree in Politics and Economics.
Outside of work Stephen is a keen long-distance runner, having completed several marathons and competed overseas. He is Vice-Chair of a producing theatre in Bolton, as well as being a primary school governor. His other interests include reading, travelling, spending time with family and supporting Burnley FC.