North East Lincolnshire Council Chief Executive Rob Walsh is to step down in May next year after 11 years at the helm of the unitary authority.
He said: “Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to experience the career that followed my early days as a trainee solicitor with the council in Cleethorpes.
“The privilege and the responsibility has never been lost on me. There is no greater honour than being Chief Executive in the place you are proud to call home and where your family has grown.”
During his tenure as Chief Executive, he has steered the borough through investment, change, challenge and opportunity.
Working with colleagues, partners and politicians, Rob oversaw the borough becoming the first area of the country to secure a ‘Town Deal’ from central Government in 2018. That deal shone the national spotlight on the borough – paving the way for a series of successful and significant funding bids, the benefits of which will be seen in the years ahead as major regeneration schemes are completed.
Rob was also integral in the formation, in 2016, of a unique partnership with the then Clinical Commissioning Group in North East Lincolnshire, which saw health care teams integrated with colleagues at the council. This established a joint working arrangement aimed at improving health care for residents in the borough.
As Rob leaves next year, the dawn will break on the new Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority. During his years as Chief Executive, he has worked extensively on the devolution agenda for the region and takes immense pride in the success he and his peers and colleagues have achieved in securing the deal that is being taken forward.
He added: “It really has been a pleasure to know and work with so many professional, dedicated and wonderful people over the years. Together we have strived to take our borough forward, fronting up to the challenges and being ambitious about the opportunities. I would like to thank every single person who has joined me on this journey over the last decade and I know that journey will continue.”
