Jane Portman set to be appointed as interim CEO at Cotswold District Council
Cotswold District Council will meet today to consider the recommendation from Cllr Mike Evemy, leader of the council and chair of the Performance and Appointments Committee, to recruit Jane Portman as interim-Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment follows Robert Weaver’s decision to step down on 30 June.
Jane was most recently CEO at South Somerset District Council, where she worked with fellow council chief executives across Somerset on a programme of local government reorganisation, which resulted in the creation of a new unitary council for Somerset.
Prior to that Jane served as Managing Director and Head of Paid Service at Bournemouth Council, before becoming Interim Head of Paid Service at the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole shadow authority. She led the councils through to vesting day, when they formally combined to create one of two new unitary authorities in Dorset.
If appointed, she will start in post at Cotswold District Council next month for an initial six-month term. Critically, this will be as work continues on several proposals to abolish Gloucestershire’s county and district councils, under a new wave of local government reorganisation in this region.
Recommending Jane’s appointment to fellow councillors at 4pm today, Cllr Evemy, will explain that Jane’s track record demonstrates she is extremely well equipped to steward the organisation as it tackles several big priorities for the council – and to help lay the foundations that will ensure the Cotswold district continues to flourish in a new local government model.
Cllr Mike Evemy, leader of Cotswold District Council, said: “At a really important time for the council, Jane is someone who can work with our partners to take the organisation successfully through this period of fundamental change, all while continuing to tackle the other challenges that we face over the next few years. This includes finding innovative ways to best-serve residents, managing housing development across the district, and transforming council operations and service delivery in light of increasing financial pressures.”