County Council to make final decision on new Chief Executive

A final decision will be made at an Extraordinary Meeting of the County Council (on 21 June 2021) on the appointment of the new Chief Executive for Hampshire County Council. Following national competition for the role, the Member Appointment Panel, which met on Monday 7 June, is unanimously recommending Carolyn Williamson, the County Council’s current Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Resources, for the role. A final decision on the appointment will be made by a full meeting of the County Council on 21 June. The Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Keith Mans, said: “The extent of Carolyn Williamson’s experience and knowledge of the County Council, and her high level abilities were markedly evident throughout the appointment process. In Carolyn, we believe we have found an extremely high calibre leader, with vision and a clear direction for taking the Authority forward in its journey of transformation.

“The people of Hampshire rightly expect a high-quality service from the County Council, which requires us to ensure that we are continually pushing boundaries with innovative and efficient methods of working. To do this we need the best people working for us.”

“The Appointment Panel is delighted to be recommending Carolyn, to the full County Council, for the position of Chief Executive – and I’m extremely grateful to the Members of all parties who have helped in this process.” Hampshire County Council is a large and complex organisation and one of the best performing Councils in the country. As Head of Paid Service, the Chief Executive is responsible, through the Council Leader, for managing an overall annual budget of around £2 billion, a workforce of around 37,000 and for providing services for 1.4 million people across the county.