Newcastle City Council confirms Pam Smith as new chief executive

Pam Smith has said she is looking forward to helping the city recover from the Covid pandemic

Newcastle City Council has confirmed the appointment of its new chief executive.

Pam Smith was officially approved after a vote by councillors on Wednesday having being named as the authority's preferred candidate earlier in the week.

The 56-year-old joins from Stockport Council, in Greater Manchester, and is expected to start in January.

She will replace Pat Ritchie, who has held the post since 2013.

Councillor Karen Kilgour, the council's deputy Labour leader, said Mrs Smith would arrive with an "abundance of knowledge, experience, and understanding of local government at all levels".

Liberal Democrat opposition leader Nick Cott added she had "vision" and "experience".

Mrs Smith has been Stockport's chief executive since 2017 and previously held the same role in Burnley.

She said on Monday she was "excited to be a part of Newcastle's future" and "looking forward to helping the city build back strongly from the pandemic".

Overseeing more than 5,000 employees, she will be paid an annual salary somewhere between £172,753 and £188,948, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ms Ritchie announced this summer she would be stepping down having delayed her decision to leave when the pandemic struck last year.

She is due to leave the civic centre on 15 October.