Council Departments
The Chief Executive
The Chief Executive is the statutory 'head of the paid service' of the council, and is responsible for the management of our staff, services and operations, as well as setting the strategic direction for the authority and its partners with elected councillors.
As our principal policy adviser the Chief Executive ensures that central government legislation and inspection regimes, in relation to local government are translated/implemented locally through policy planning, reporting arrangements for making decisions, and strong performance management systems.
The Chief Executive is responsible for the organisation and management arrangements of the council, and with the 5 Directors forms the Corporate Management Team which manages our £400 million plus revenue and capital budget and 8,000 plus workforce to deliver elected councillors ambitions for the community and area we serve.
The Corporate Management Team therefore works closely with both Executive and Scrutiny councillors to translate their priorities into firm proposals and actions.
Although managing the whole Council, there are a few service areas where central government places a requirement on the Chief Executive to personally ensure that the arrangements being put in place by directors/departments are sound - these are emergency planning, the protection of vulnerable children, and ensuring effective partnership working to reduce crime and promote community safety.
Barking and Dagenham's Chief Executive plays an active role in these areas by chairing/membership of the relevant partnership and operational boards.
The Chief Executive deals with the most serious complaints (stage 3 of our complaints procedure) that have not been resolved at departmental level, and liaises with the Local Government Ombudsman on complaints referred to this independent adjudication service.
Finally, the Chief Executive who is an accountant by professional training is also the statutory chief financial officer of the authority.
The Chief Executive's Office
The Chief Executive's Office has 2 members of staff, a Senior Personal Assistant and an Assistant Personal Assistant.
The main function of the office is to provide the Chief Executive with anything he or she requires in order to fulfil their role. This involves many duties including:
- Correspondence and telephone calls
- Arranging meetings and taking minutes
- Arranging conferences
- Liaising with stakeholders, councillors and the Management Team
