New Town Hall chief Lesley Seary has mission to cut red tape
Published: 25th March, 2011
by PETER GRUNER
THE Town Hall has appointed a new chief executive who will focus on streamlining services and removing red tape.
Lesley Seary, the £132,000-a-year executive director for customer services at Lewisham Council, is expected to be confirmed in the job at a meeting of the full council on Thursday.
She will be earning £50,000 less than the current chief executive, John Foster, criticised for his £210,000 salary.
Ms Seary was recommended for the role by Islington’s personnel sub-committee. She will replace Mr Foster, who will retire at the end of May after 40 years’ service to the public sector.
Ms Seary is chairwoman of the Local Government Customer Insight Forum, which aims to share expertise on customer service among local authorities.
She spoke recently at a conference on the need to simplify the “impenetrable” distance between citizen and state.
Labour council leader Councillor Catherine West said: “It’s been a careful and rigorous search for our new chief executive.”