Deborah Cadman steps down as Birmingham City Council chief executive

Deborah Cadman will stand down from her role as chief executive of Birmingham City Council, it was announced yesterday.

Ms Cadman (pictured) was appointed to the role in March 2021, joining the council from the West Midlands Combined Authority.

Her departure comes after the council signed off a string of cuts to services earlier this month in a bid to address a budget shortfall.

The local authority was forced to issue a section 114 notice last year following an equal pay claim and overspend on an IT system.

The council said Professor Graeme Betts, deputy chief executive and director of Adult Social Care, will be interim chief executive while a permanent replacement is sought.

Ms Cadman’s last day at the authority will be on 22 March.

In a statement, Ms Cadman said: “When I was appointed as Chief Executive in March 2021, I was given a very clear brief of delivering the Commonwealth Games and I am proud that these were an outstanding success, with Birmingham 2022 considered as one of the best ever.

“It was always my intention to leave the council once the budget (2024/25) was agreed, and we had a clear route to recovery and improvement. Having secured that approval and having led on the development of the council’s new Improvement and Recovery Plan, I feel that now is the right time to hand over the baton to a new Chief Executive.

"I am of course incredibly disappointed with the council’s current financial position and the challenges that have arisen due to historic Equal Pay issues and the failed implementation of Oracle.

“I joined the council after a period of significant volatility that saw the organisation have four Chief Executives in only two years.

“I have endeavoured to bring stability to the organisation including making permanent appointments to senior roles such as the Directors of Children’s Services and Housing, which has led to improvements in performance.

“I am pleased that Birmingham is one of the few places that has received ‘Good’ ratings in both Adults and Children’s Social Care.”

"It has been the honour of my life to be the Chief Executive of the city in which I was born and raised.

“I wish my colleagues every success in transforming the council into one that this great city deserves.”

Henrietta Brealey, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “On behalf of the GBCC, we wish Deborah well for the future and thank her for her engagement with a range of Chamber activities and initiatives both during her three years at Birmingham City Council and in her prior role as CEO of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

“This is a critical role for the city at the best of times, and it is abundantly clear that this is an extremely challenging period in Birmingham City Council’s history.

“It is vital that the best possible person is chosen as Deborah’s successor to support bringing stability to the council, for the benefit of the city, its businesses and residents.”