Flintshire Council Chief Executive Colin Everett to step down

Flintshire Council has said it’s Chief Executive, Colin Everett is to step down from his role later this year.

Colin Everett joined the Council back in 2007, the last 14 years of Colin’s career have been dedicated to serving Flintshire and the North Wales region.

He had worked for five other councils and two national organisations before committing his future to Flintshire with all but six of his working years having been spent in his home country of Wales.

During his tenure here Colin has worked tirelessly for the Council and the people it serves through times of great financial uncertainty in the public sector, and latterly through this long and protracted emergency situation.   He has helped turn the Council into a high performing and progressive local authority.

Colin has been instrumental in the development of North Wales as a united region which works together as a collaborative.

He led the largest ever regional procurement of the Parc Adfer waste to energy facility, and co-lead the North Wales Economic Growth Deal which was signed-off by Ministers from both Governments only last month.

Colin has also been a major player in Welsh public services and is the lead Returning Officer for elections and electoral reform in Wales.

  Colin Everett, Chief Executive said:

When I started in local government as a school-leaver I had an ambition to achieve 40 year of public service, and to make an impact.

It was always my intention to finish full-time work in mid-2021 when I had reached this personal milestone.

However, due to the pandemic I decided to delay my personal plans by a few months so that I could continue to support Flintshire and the region through these difficult times.

With vaccines now coming on stream we have renewed hope that 2021 will see the end of the pandemic.

I am very proud of this Council which I have been privileged to lead and serve. It has been an honour to work with so many gifted and dedicated colleagues and partners both locally and regionally.

Councillor Ian Roberts, Leader of the Council said

In the 14 years Colin has been at Flintshire he has made a considerable contribution, both personally and professionally, to the Council, the North Wales region and to Wales.

As Chief Executive he has led the Council through a significant and prolonged period of financial austerity, necessitating unprecedented levels of change and modernisation.

Through his leadership, hard work and commitment, officers and members have all worked together to get Flintshire to the very strong position it is in today.

As if the financial insecurities of the last decade were not enough, the current pandemic has brought its own set of challenges and unsurprisingly Colin’s dedication has come to the fore again, putting the needs of Flintshire and the North Wales region ahead of his own personal plans.

The support Colin gave me when I came into my position as Leader of the Council was invaluable and I would like to thank him not only for his help during my first months but for the support he continues to provide.

Although his departure will leave a massive gap, as one of the longest serving Chief Executives in Wales, he is leaving a strong and lasting legacy behind him.

A timetable for the recruitment of Colin’s successor is currently being developed and will be presented to County Council in the spring.