New interim chief executive formally appointed

Councillors have formally appointed a new interim chief executive to run Oldham council.

At a special meeting of the full council last night (Wednesday), members voted to allow Harry Catherall to take up the top post.

He is the former chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen borough council and St Helens council, and has a 40 year career in local government.

Mr Catherall is to replace Carolyn Wilkins who left the role after more than 12 years working at the local authority in the months after Councillor Arooj Shah became council leader.

While Ms Wilkins had also served as accountable officer at Oldham’s clinical commissioning group (CCG), Coun Shah told members that this joint role would not be continuing.

“This appointment will give the council a dedicated experienced chief executive working full time for the good of Oldham and its people,” she said.

“While having one person as council chief executive and CCG accountable officer was the right decision while we sought to bring together health and social care, it’s no longer the right choice for Oldham.

“In Harry we’ve managed to attract an experienced chief executive with a salary and associated costs substantially, in fact over £70,000 less overall than the previous post holder.

“However, as the cost of the previous chief executive’s salary was shared between the council and the CCG the council will now pay the full cost of the chief executive which is around £50,000 more. 

“However, this shared cost arrangement was due to end in March 2022 anyway as the role of the CCGs is due to change.

"The chief executive’s salary is comparable to that of other chief executives in the region.”

Ms Wilkins had been paid £185,169 according to the latest salary details for 2021/22.

Mr Catherall takes up his post today (August 26) on an interim basis while the recruitment process to appoint a full time chief executive is underway.

Coun Shah told the meeting: “What was clear when taking up leadership was that we needed to reset the relationship residents have with their local services. 

“That we had to focus on delivering great basic services while also steering the borough through recovery through  the pandemic and driving regeneration.

“The recruitment of a new full time chief executive to lead the organisation is a great leap forward in delivering this step change.

“Everything that we do in this council should be to improve the lives of this town and I know that Harry shares my commitment to local people, my commitment to engaging and working with them and a desire to deliver first class public services.

“Harry can and will take our plans forward with integrity and attention to detail and as a community and a council we now need to come together to give him our full support.”

In a statement following the meeting, Mr Catherall, a trained accountant, said: “I’m delighted to be formally appointed as chief executive and am looking forward to getting started; working with the wider council team to meet the priorities clearly set by the council’s Leadership.

“Oldham clearly has an ambitious and positive vision for its future and I am keen to play my part in making the town’s plans a reality.”

Earlier this month, the Chronicle revealed that local businessman Paul Errock intends to apply for the vacancy when it is advertised by the authority. 

Mr Errock - who previously stood as a candidate in the 2019 General Election for the Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth Party - says he would perform the role at half the salary of Carolyn Wilkins OBE, the former Chief Executive.

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