Looking for Stevenage’s next chief executive
Stevenage Borough Council are on the hunt for their next chief executive. Shining a light on the role, the local authorities leader Richard Henry explains what a privilege it is to work in such a rewarding town.
It speaks volumes when your corporate plan is called Making Stevenage Even Better.
Stevenage Borough Council’s leader, Councillor Richard Henry, is acutely aware that successful places simply cannot stand still and it’s the local authority’s job to seize every opportunity to drive prosperity.
Stevenage started life as Britain’s first new town back in 1946 and it has grown to be an economic success story, home to an array of international businesses and homegrown SMEs.
It has the third largest cell and gene therapy cluster outside of the United States as well as a growing presence in the space, communication, defence and many other industries.
Stevenage’s infrastructure and connectivity – just 20 minutes by train from London and with excellent links both north and south – have helped to make it a magnet for investment and innovation.
For the council’s next chief executive, the key task is to write another chapter in this thriving Hertfordshire town’s story.
Cllr Henry is adamant that for all its competitive advantages, what sets Stevenage apart is the council’s proactive approach to growth and investment.
‘We are genuinely open for business. We have had to fight very hard all the time to make sure that we keep the big businesses and SMEs in the town. We don’t want to become a commuter town.
‘Business and investors are attracted by the fact that we have invested in our planning, housing development, regeneration and cultural teams. It means that when people make an enquiry we’re good to go. We’re much quicker than a lot of other areas because while other councils cut back we continued to invest in our workforce.’
Stevenage is now reaping the benefits of that approach. Like other post-war new towns, it has ageing infrastructure and housing that will require significant regeneration and renewal over the coming years.
Major private sector investment is complementing publicly-funded development as local businesses such as cell therapy pioneer Autolus and pharmaceutical and biotech giant GSK, alongside advanced manufacturing companies demonstrating their commitment to Stevenage.
Stevenage kickstarted a 20-year, £1bn regeneration programme back in 2015 and it is now coming to fruition, says Cllr Henry, making it the perfect time for a new chief executive to take the reins.
‘We’ve expanded our train station, built a new bus interchange and an award-winning multistorey car park, brought apartments into the town centre and we’ve transformed our iconic town square. There are lots more projects to come such as a new state-of-the-art leisure centre, a public sector hub and major public realm improvements.’
The cumulative effect of these changes is meeting the needs of both employers and residents, he says.
‘We have a great relationship with businesses and business partners and when I talk to them they say what they need are places to go to, a night time economy – because then they will get the best staff. Ten years ago the town centre would be empty after five o’clock, now there’s a buzz and life.’
One of the priorities for the next chief executive will be to ensure local people benefit from the investment and job creation now being seen.
Cllr Henry explains: ‘Over the last couple of years we have been working with major businesses, the local enterprise partnership and education and training providers to develop skills for work. It’s about linking the skills required by big business and SMEs and matching them with our young people – raising their aspirations to work in these sectors.’
As a member of the Co-operative Councils’ Innovation Network, the local authority strives to live by its values, particularly in its efforts to engage and support people in more deprived areas. In recent years it has built 500 council homes and over the next decade it will invest £250m in its existing housing stock to improve standards.
‘We would like the chief executive to understand that they are not going to come in and just manage a town,’ says Cllr Henry. ‘We want them to be proactive in making the town better, improving the offer to the people of Stevenage and continuing the positive impact we have on the wider economy.’
In a nutshell, it’s about getting under the skin of Stevenage, appreciating the pride it has in being the first new town and members’ continued appetite to be a council that pushes the boundaries.
‘It needs to be someone that’s dynamic because they are seen as a key person in the town that’s going to help take us forward. We’re a small borough council but what we’re doing is more advanced than some unitary authorities. There are opportunities and challenges here that the new chief executive needs to understand and take a proactive approach to.
‘We want someone who is ambitious as we are to make their mark on the town.’
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