Barnet Council has opened applications for its next chief executive.
The council confirmed on Monday (January 13) that it is now recruiting for a permanent chief executive to take the place of acting CEO Cath Shaw, who has served since June following the departure of John Hooton.
The council posted the vacancy on its careers page last Friday alongside a detailed job description, with a salary set at £206,492 to £218,002.
Hooton was chief executive of Barnet for eight years; he was previously chief operating officer and before then deputy finance director.
The council reported that under leadership Barnet’s children’s services went from an ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ rating”, the council became a “leader” in tackling climate change and “successfully delivered some of London’s largest growth and regeneration programmes”.
However, the new chief executive will need to tackle challenges including around council finances, high demand for temporary accommodation, adult and children’s social care services, and an unpredictable economy.
At the start of the year council leader Barry Rawlings warned “difficult decisions” lay ahead with the 2025/26 budget gap currently at £52 million.
The job description states: “As our new chief executive you’ll be responsible for the transformation of our services, work that will involve giving more power and resources to local communities.
“This is a vitally important agenda, and to be successful it will be your job to help us become more financially self-sufficient, keep costs down and inspire our teams to adapt and innovate as we deliver the best services.
“This won’t be an easy task as there will be hard choices to be made but it will be an exciting and fulfilling journey.”
The council says it hopes to fill the role around spring time and attract both internal and external interest.