City council chief to leave and take up new role

Mel Barrett joined the council in September 2020

The chief executive of Nottingham City Council is leaving the authority to take up a new role.

Mel Barrett, who joined the council in September 2020, will be the new chief executive of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing (MTVH).

The government appointed commissioners to help run the authority after it issued a section 114 notice in November, declaring effective bankruptcy.

The MTVH was founded in the 1950s to provide homes for the Windrush generation, which Mr Barrett said gave him "strong personal motivation" to take on the role.

The Labour-run city council said it faced "significant challenges" when Mr Barrett joined, including the Covid-19 pandemic and "dealing with legacy issues which reduced the council's financial resilience".

In March, councillors approved cuts to jobs and services in the hopes of plugging a £53m budget gap.

Council leader David Mellen, who is due to step down this month, thanked Mr Barrett for his "work and dedication".

Mr Barrett said the job is not yet done, and "we know that the pace of improvement will increase".

Progress has been made in key areas, he added, such as supporting vulnerable children and becoming a more "open and transparent organisation".

He added that both his parents were part of the Windrush generation and had recently passed away.

Lead commissioner Tony McArdle said his team has had "a very positive relationship" with Mr Barrett since arriving at the council.

Discussions will take place on what will happen next in relation to the chief executive role, the council said.

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