Team player with a huge job to do

Charlie Parker, who will be one of the key players in developing the Oldham of the future, starts his new job as chief executive of Oldham Council today. Here, he gives an exclusive interview to KEN BENNETT on his hopes and ambitions for Oldham . . .

CUSTOMERS in cafes and the like across Oldham have welcomed a chatty stranger, eager to talk about Oldham and its council.

That lean, athletic stranger in an immaculate business suit was not there to pass the time of day, though. He was Charlie Parker, the new chief executive of Oldham Council, who starts his job today.

“I found Oldham people very welcoming,” said Mr Parker. “It was just a normal conversation and a sense that Oldham people are very questioning of the council. I just listened to what people said, it was fascinating. You sometimes get more out of these conversations than anything.

“They’ve got strong views, which I really like and it’s clear they will hold us to account because they have lots to deal with.

“There are big social issues and some quite challenging economic issues. For some people it’s quite hard and it’s up to us to help and to improve some of that.”

But Mr Parker is not promising any quick fixes. “We don’t just go for the lowest common denominator, it’s got to work for Oldham; it’s got to work in a way that makes Oldham start to move forward.

“We are going to have to do some tough things and you can’t do them in five minutes. Regeneration takes a long time, at least a 10-year programme to get things right.”

What comes across loud and clear is that Mr Parker does not see himself as a one-man band, playing a solo concert to lift Oldham hearts. He is first and foremost a team player.

As well as his conversations with individual residents, Mr Parker has held meetings with local business leaders and with investors to pull together a comprehensive view of Oldham.

“It isn’t just about me,” he insists, “it’s also about the team. I’m providing some managerial leadership but we’ve got to build a team at Oldham because the sum is much more important than its individual parts.

“It’s not the Charlie Parker show — it’s the Oldham show.”

Mr Parker values the knowledge and experience of the borough’s councillors in their role as ambassadors and representatives and aims, too, to tap into the expertise of the police, health and education sectors.

“Once we get the clear understanding of the vision, the priorities and what’s needed in terms of standards and service, we will invigorate people so that they want to come and work for Oldham. That’s very powerful.”

He is very keen on creating a greater sense of pride in Oldham but recognises that it will have to be earned.

“We have to make the council relevant to residents and businesses in Oldham and not something which is just there and becomes a focus of discontent.

“We’ve got to get our own house in order and we can’t look outwards until we have got something internally to be proud of.”

The new chief executive comes to Oldham with a mental plan of what has to be done over the next six months and the next two years. He believes that the local authority is fairly outdated and not as modern as it needs to be in the way it works.

“Too much ivory tower stuff isn’t good for anyone,” he says, “I’ll be going out every week for half a day walking in the wards, talking to people, finding out what’s going on so that I’ve got some direct feedback.”

Getting the budget right and the services more efficiently run are the first challenges but they are mixed with high points, too.

“Some things here are really innovative. The personalised care plans by adult services are brilliant, but then we can’t get the loos to work in the civic building and other places for people who come in every day.

“We are doing some innovative work around education, which I see as one of the biggest areas to prioritise, yet sometimes I see the bins are overflowing and the streets have not been cleaned at the right times. These things are important and we have got to get them right.

“Once we have got the internal agenda operating smoothly, we can start to look at how we work with other players.”

Education is a huge issue for Mr Parker, who believes that once Oldham gets the education base right the council can deal with some of the social fabric around housing.

“We can start to provide a place where people want to come to live. Even if it means on occasion they might not work in Oldham, the fact that they come back and spend their disposable income in Oldham is very important,” he says.

“Oldham can become the place of choice for people to live, to be educated and to work. That has to be a worthwhile goal.”


CHARLIE PARKER CV

Charlie Parker was previously the director of investment and performance at English Partnerships and a member of its executive management board. Previously he was the executive director for regeneration at Liverpool City Council, executive director of the Liverpool Partnership Group and up to 1999 was director of the Speke Garston Partnership — Liverpool’s flagship SRB programme. Prior to working in Liverpool, Charlie was head of Manchester City Council’s Inner City Department for five years.

On a personal level, Mr Parker is a married father of two who is from the South but has lived in Greater Manchester for 19 years. A keen walker and skier, Mr Parker is also a season ticket holder at Manchester City, a big rugby union fan (he watches Sale and attended the last two rugby world cups with his wife) and he sails.