Call for Walsall Council CEO role to be scrapped

Dr Helen Paterson has been CEO at Walsall since the retirement of Paul Sheehan in 2017

The departure of a council's chief executive has prompted a call to scrap the £195k post to save money.

Dr Helen Paterson, who has led Walsall Council for five years, is set to be appointed as chief executive of Northumberland County Council.

Council leader Mike Bird congratulated Dr Paterson on her new role and thanked her for her work.

Cllr Pete Smith called for a public discussion on whether the position should be refilled.

Mr Smith, who represents the Blakenall ward as an Independent, said the cost of living crisis and service cuts demanded a rethink, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Does Walsall Council really need another chief executive at a cost of around £200,000 per year, given that services have been cut to the bone, with many services outsourced?" he said.

"On the one hand the council can afford to pay out this sort of money on one job, yet on the other hand impose even further cuts to services and even further rises in council tax bills from April 2023," he added.

Mr Bird said the appointment of senior officers was a matter for the authority's personnel committee.

Before she joined Walsall, Dr Paterson was chief executive at Wrexham County Borough Council for six years from 2011.

Her appointment in Northumberland is due to be agreed at a council meeting in November.