Harry Catherall appointed for a further three years as Chief Executive of Oldham Council

Date published: 11 January 2022


Oldham Council’s Chief Executive has been appointed by a cross party council committee.

The committee unanimously appointed Harry Catherall for a further three years from 1 April 2022 with the decision pending approval at the next Full Council meeting, set to take place on Wednesday 2 March.

Harry Catherall, former Chief Executive of Blackburn with Darwen and St Helen’s Councils, came to Oldham last August on an interim basis.

Council Leader Arooj Shah said: "Harry’s three year fixed term appointment offers the stability we need to deliver on our key priorities for the residents of Oldham. He's been appointed during a challenging time with Covid and a new budget to balance, but he’s shown drive, determination and real commitment to delivering great public services for local people and has prioritised the things that people really care about.

"Harry has already started to forge stronger relationships between local people and their public services through projects like the ‘Big Oldham Conversation’, a new approach to consultation and engagement where residents can feedback to senior leadership at in-person meetings right at the heart of the community.

"He’s also overseen the Don’t Trash Oldham campaign to keep the borough clean, green, and safe for residents and his focus is now on helping our communities and businesses recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic."

His role at Oldham Council is the second post Mr Catherall has undertaken since he took early retirement at Blackburn with Darwen Council with a £130,000 pay off in April 2019. He stood in as interim Chief Executive at St Helens Council in 2019/2020.


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