Brighton and Hove City Council chooses new chief executive

A new chief executive has been chosen for Brighton and Hove City Council.

Former social worker Penny Thompson was chief executive of the General Social Care Council. The quango was abolished at the end of July.

She was previously chief executive of Hackney Council in London and ran her own leadership consultancy.

Her appointment is expected to be confirmed at the next full council meeting on Thursday 25 October.

She will take over from John Barradell, who left last month to run the City of London Corporation.

Penny Thompson was picked by an all-party panel of councillors after a two-day selection process which included input from, among others, the council’s voluntary sector partners.

She said: “I am delighted to have been offered the job of chief executive.

“Brighton and Hove is a truly wonderful city with huge potential for the future and the city council has an important role to play in ensuring it remains a place where people want to live, work and visit.

“I look forward to working with staff, partners and elected members of all political parties to help the city fulfil its potential.”

Penny Thompson started her professional career as social worker in London before moving to Sheffield, Cleveland and then Nottingham.

She returned to Sheffield in 1998 as the director of social services and led the department out of “special measures”.

She was part of the executive management team that secured the Audit Commission’s top performance rating in 2004.

She returned to London in 2005 as chief executive of Hackney Council before setting up her own leadership consultancy in 2007.

Her consultancy provided advice and short-term management expertise to a range of organisations including other councils, the NHS and quangos.

Two years ago she became chief executive of the General Social Care Council but shortly after joining the GSCC the government announced that it was to be abolished.

She was awarded the CBE for services to social care in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June.