Welcome to Essex

Welcome letter from Councillor Bentley

As the leader of Essex County Council I am incredibly ambitious – for our organisation, our residents and for the county of Essex. I am looking forward to starting the recruitment process for a Chief Executive who has the same drive and ambition and who will work alongside me to deliver our vision for Everyone’s Essex and ensure Essex County Council continues to be one of the leading local authorities in the country.

Essex is a county of opportunity and the opportunity to be the county council’s new Chief Executive is a unique and exciting one . The county council serves a diverse population – from our diverse landscape and the infrastructure challenges that brings, to our diverse communities and the support they need to achieve their full potential. All our officers and members put our residents at the heart of our services and decision making, delivering our Everyone’s Essex strategy,  and my expectation is that our new Chief Executive will champion this approach.

I expect the new Chief Executive to continue the work of their predecessor in fostering solid partnerships, both locally and nationally. In Essex we have a complex local government and health landscape and our Chief Executive must be able to foster these not only to deliver outcomes for residents now but also to consider how we can make the most of the opportunity for devolution in the county. Its absolutely imperative that our new Chief Executive leads this work and ensures the voice of Essex is heard on the national stage.

The county council is large and complex and we have a team of officers who are all highly experienced, passionate and dedicated. It is important that the new Chief Executive works alongside the Leader to continue to lead and inspire our employees.