New council boss to take the reins in summer

Godron Mole will take up his role in the summer

A man with private sector experience linked to London's Shard and Heathrow Terminal 5 has been officially appointed as the new chief executive of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

Gordon Mole succeeds former chief executive Martin Hamilton, who stood down at the end of March after five years in the post.

The appointment was officially confirmed at a full council meeting on Wednesday - and he will start over the summer.

The council said he was the preferred candidate out of a field of 28 who applied for the position which is quoted in council papers as having an annual salary of £116,530.65 plus expenses for additional election-related duties.

Simon Tagg, leader of the council, commented: “Gordon’s background and experience, both in the public and private sector, is really impressive and will prove invaluable in our determination to maintain high quality and affordable services for residents; deliver a range of once-in-a-lifetime, multi-million pound regeneration projects and promote our new and improved town centres as vibrant places for everyone to enjoy.”

'Continuity'

Mr Mole’s current role at Fife Council includes responsibility for economic policy and development, town centres and tourism.

Before his move to Scotland, he was head of culture and environment services at Ipswich Borough Council.

Prior to that, he led the development of new apprenticeships and graduate training for Crossrail and was responsible for economic development, procurement and employment initiatives for several major construction programmes including London’s Shard, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Tate Modern.

Mr Mole said he would provide continuity of leadership on issues such as Walleys Quarry.