Welcome from the Leader of the Council
Dear Candidate
I welcome your interest in the opportunity to become Chief Executive at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk. Like any Chief Executive role it comes with challenges but also opportunities – opportunities to shape, to transform and to deliver services for our borough. I embraced leadership in May 2023 and work closely and productively with the current Chief Executive and other officers of the Council. I look to continue that practice with you and am sure any future leaders will want to do likewise.
The local elections in May 2023 enabled the first minority administration in 20 years to be formed and it is the first in West Norfolk to be made of up a partnership of independent councillors and other parties. As a result, there has been a change in emphasis and in the manner of working. We have recently adopted our new corporate strategy setting out the council’s ambitions and priorities up to May 2027. Our strategy has four priorities: Promoting growth and prosperity; providing efficient and effective delivery of our services; protecting our environment, and supporting our communities. It acknowledges the differences between the rural, coastal, and urban areas of our borough and embraces new development as well as the preservation of our very significant heritage. I have two portfolio members for the environment and issues of sea and river water quality, local flooding, and CO2 emissions, including mitigation measures, run through the strategy.
Adoption of our corporate strategy is a major milestone enabling us to focus our budget and resources on the priorities identified within it. To support the Corporate Strategy, we have also developed an Annual Plan to provide focus on the priorities and projects we will be progressing during 2024/25.
The council's recent LGA Peer Challenge recognised and acknowledged it's extra focus on financial and cost management, the strength of its partnership working, and the can-do attitude of staff. The Peer Challenge team also acknowledged that the borough has much to shout about and is the envy of its neighbours. The review has highlighted some key areas for improvement, many of which we were already working on, so it is useful to know that we are heading in the right direction. Other improvements will be driven by our Peer Review Action Plan which was developed with input from all officers to ensure that it will lead to necessary improvements.
I enabled Cabinet to commission an independent, professional, staff survey which will measure the ‘state of the corporate nation’ and give further guidance to how the organisation should move forward. The results of this will be available as the new Chief Executive starts. Consequently, you will have a lot of very important information available to you; the peer review action plan, staff survey findings, corporate strategy and annual plan on which to build. There will also be an opportunity, working with the cabinet, to restructure your ‘top team’.
West Norfolk provides a diverse landscape and history and a strong arts and culture scene. You can enjoy countryside and coast, admire and visit town centre locations steeped in history, and attend major cultural events such as the King’s Lynn Festival and Festival Too. There is also the Guildhall where Shakespeare is reputed to have played which is currently undergoing major restoration works. There are many other events supported by the council, you will be surprised at the range of them and how accessible they are. There are also a host of sports and leisure facilities many of which are operated by the council, through our wholly owned company Alive West Norfolk.
There is a range of social and economic challenges facing the area, from a prevalence of low paid, seasonal jobs to house prices being pushed out of reach as holiday makers snap up second homes. The council is taking steps to provide affordable and rented accommodation through its own house building programme which seeks to provide homes for local people. Many Neighbourhood Plans are tackling the second homes issue and you should note that West Norfolk has 101 Parish Councils with whom we work closely.
We are ambitious to make this council fit for the future and to deliver services that align resources around the things our local communities want and need. To help achieve our ambitions we need you to often be physically present, providing leadership that helps to deliver the council’s vision and corporate priorities. You should show practical common sense when tackling matters which arise. You must be honestly willing to work with Elected Members. The Council has many partners, Norfolk County Council, the Queen Elizabeth hospital and College of West Anglia amongst them, and the relationship with partners was recognised as a strength in the LGA peer review. We would like it to remain so, particularly as the County Deal unfolds and a further £20M is also available via the Towns Fund, adding to the £25M already granted.
You will be someone who has operated at a senior level, who can bring your experience and learning from previous roles, adapting it as necessary to our needs. You should be willing to both support and develop our staff, making any changes after appropriate consultation. You should have the vision to seek out and take advantage of new opportunities and ideas for the benefit of our residents, businesses, and borough generally.
To help develop your knowledge of West Norfolk, and the plans we have for the future, you will find additional information and links to documents and useful websites on this site. Or Google us, we have no secrets and if you find anything that intrigues or puzzles you, ask me about it.
This is an excellent opportunity for you if you are looking for a rewarding and challenging role, backed by an administration that has put in place the framework for improvement and has shown itself willing to collaborate with officers. If you have the passion, vision and drive to deliver better outcomes for our communities across our diverse range of settings and help us to make West Norfolk a place where people want to live, work, invest and visit, I will look forward to receiving your application.
Terry Parish
Leader