Peterborough City Council is being asked to appoint Cecilie Booth on a permanent basis as Executive Director of Corporate Services and Section 151 Officer in a meeting next week.
Members of Peterborough City Council will be asked to approve the appointment of Cecilie Booth as the council’s permanent Executive Director of Corporate Services and Section 151 Officer.
The report will go before the Full Council meeting taking place on Wednesday 1 November 2023.
Cecilie joined the city council as interim Executive Director of Corporate Services, which includes the roles of Chief Finance Officer and Section 151 Officer, in January 2022.
Following a meeting today (24 October 2023), the council’s Employment Committee has recommended that Full Council appoint Cecilie on a permanent basis as Executive Director of Corporate Services and Section 151 Officer.
Matt Gladstone, Peterborough City Council’s Chief Executive, said: “Cecilie has very much led the transformation in the council’s finances over the past 18 months so naturally we are delighted to recommend her appointment on a permanent basis.
“When Cecilie joined the council we were facing a £16m projected overspend in-year and a predicted budget gap in 2022/23 of £26.8m. There was little long-term budget planning and member and staff engagement on the budget was not strong.
“The picture now is very different. We still face financial challenges, like all councils, but we now have a much firmer grip on our finances and are moving forwards at pace towards achieving financial sustainability.
“We are delighted to recommend that Cecilie leads our finances as we continue to strive towards becoming a financially sustainable council.”
Cecilie has a career in local government finance spanning 25 years, having qualified with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in 1998. In that time, she has served in roles for the NHS, the police and local councils and also the private sector, working for Capita as a financial consultant and treasury advisors Arlingclose.
Prior to joining Peterborough, Cecilie was Chief Operating and Chief Financial Officer for City of London Police.
Cecilie said: “I have very much enjoyed my time so far working for the city council and we have achieved a huge amount to move the organisation onto a more stable footing.
“This is a really great time to work in Peterborough, with so many exciting projects underway or in planning. Much hard work also remains as we move closer towards becoming a financially sustainable council. I want to continue to play a key role in that transformation of the council and in supporting the city to grow and prosper.
“These are not easy times for local councils, but I believe that with the top team we now have in place and a committed and passionate workforce we will find a place of financial stability.”
At the meeting next week, Full Council will also be asked to approve the appointment of Adesuwa Omoregie as the council’s Interim Monitoring Officer. This is a temporary arrangement whilst the appointment to the permanent position takes place.
Adesuwa has previously acted as the council’s Interim Deputy Monitoring Officer.
The Monitoring Officer is responsible for safeguarding the interests of the council by providing legal advice and support to chief officers and elected members on sensitive and highly complex legal matters.
Adesuwa has worked in local government for 13 years and prior to joining the city council has previously held roles as Head of Legal Services and Assistant Director of Legal Services.