South Tyneside Council has formally appointed Martin Swales as its new Chief Executive at yesterday's (Thursday 3 December) meeting of the full Council.
The Council Leader, Councillor Iain Malcolm said: "I am delighted with this appointment. Martin Swales was born and raised in Jarrow; he is currently Strategic Director of Development at North Tyneside Council where he has spearheaded a marked growth in jobs and regeneration of the north bank of the Tyne, which is one of the biggest economic regeneration programmes under way in the UK today.
"He is also the lead officer for employment and skills in the Tyne & Wear City Region and has played a major role in developing the A19 employment corridor both within North Tyneside and the sub region."
Mr Swales (47) will take up his post in February. He said: "I am looking forward to coming back to my home roots and using my experience to quickly address the challenges the area is facing. One of my main priorities is to modernise services in partnership with other local authorities and public sector agencies, particularly in relation to adult social care and children's services. We must seek to provide council services in different ways, adopting new delivery models and structures to achieve greater efficiencies.
"Accelerating economic growth and creating jobs is another clear priority, which will see improvements cascade down into local communities. Listening and responding at a neighbourhood level, living up to our promises by delivering improvements relevant to people's lives - that is what matters most."
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