Great and good praise 'terrier' council chief

NEW TEAM TO DRIVE OLDHAM FORWARD. Emma Alexander.

COUNCILLORS have paid tribute to Oldham Council executive director Emma Alexander who has left the authority after making a "real difference".

The executive director of corporate and commercial services has now left Oldham Council, after joining the authority in 2009 and maintained almost the very same portfolio throughout her time with the authority.

She was part of the all-female management team appointed by Oldham Council in 2009, which replaced the five existing directorates of strategy and resources, environmental services, regeneration, adult and community services and children, young people and families.

The team of four were often called "Charlie's Angels", with the council's chief executive at the time being Charlie Parker, although they were also "Howard's Angels", with Shaw councillor Howard Sykes being Oldham Council's leader at the time of their appointment.

Councillor Abdul Jabbar, Oldham Council's cabinet member for finance and HR, said: "I'm very pleased for Emma that she's got a new post and that she's progressing her career but I'm also very sad that a very able person, a brilliant executive director, has left Oldham.

"When she joined this authority had a lot of challenges and Emma rose to the challenge and helped to transform this council.

"She now has 25 years of local government experience and has put that to great use here in Oldham.

Approach

"Emma was a great member of the team that Carolyn had and before that Charlie had. In her own right she had a brilliant team who transformed the finances of this authority and the way we manage finance.

"Emma has been a very close friend of mine because when I took over the finance portfolio I didn't have much experience of finance and I needed somebody that would give me that support to get a grips of my portfolio."

Councillor Sykes said Mrs Alexander brought a "well-needed terrier-like" approach to her work.

He added: "She was one of 'Howard's Angels' and it's a very lucky opportunity to appoint a whole senior management team together.

"Emma joined in 2009 and there have been a whole sea of changes of the last seven years.

"The broad range of cases that Emma has been responsible for have been the same for the time she has been here. I think we need to read that as a positive."

In 2013 Mrs Alexander took on the additional role of managing the council's Unity Partnership - a joint venture between Oldham Council and Kier, designed to bring about improvements in a wide range of public services.

She will now take up the role of business services director at Kier Group.

Mrs Alexander said: "Humbled and touched by the thanks from Abdul Jabbar and Howard Sykes on my departure from Oldham Council.

"Thank you so much, it means a lot."